Stories from - DELAWARE
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Calling all red knot fans
A group of conservation organizations is building a base of red knot fans in the Delaware Bay. While this may sound like a strategy for a sports team, this group is dedicated to the conservation of a rare shorebird... Read More
Stories from - DELAWARE
View All StoriesKeeping Delaware Bay in the Red Knot's Journey
One of the longest-distance migrants in the entire animal kingdom is a shorebird that undergoes a round-trip trek of 18,640 miles (30,000 kilometers) each year. The red knot (Caladris canutus rufa) is the focus... Read More
Featured Species in Delaware
Piping plover
The piping plover is a dainty, sand-colored shorebird, distinguished from other small North American plovers by its pale plumage and bright orange legs. Human activities can disturb piping plovers on both their breeding and wintering grounds. Beachgoers, their vehicles and pets, and nest predators, such as gulls, raccoons, foxes, and feral cats often disturb and destroy nests. More »
Piping plover.
Photo credit: USFWS
Bog turtle
At only about four inches long, the bog turtle is North America's smallest turtle. The northern population of bog turtles in known to range from New York and western Massachusetts south to Maryland.
Bog turtle.
Photo credit: USFWS
Swamp pink
Swamp pink is a perennial herb in the lily family. It is known to occur in headwater streams and mountain bogs from New Jersey to Georgia.
Swamp pink.
Photo credit: Gene Nieminen, USFWS
Partnership Stories in Delaware
Using Satellites to Save the North Atlantic Right Whale
The North Atlantic right whale was once widely distributed in the Atlantic, but the population was dramatically reduced as a result of whaling. Despite complete protection of this species since 1935, well before the protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the species has not yet recovered. More »
Found in Delaware
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Seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) is an annual plant found on the dunes of Atlantic Ocean beaches. It was first collected in the early 19th Century in New Jersey, and its range was subsequently determined to extend from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Although originally described as abundant, the plant has declined precipitously throughout the 20th Century as a result of habitat destruction and alteration, incompatible beach grooming practices, and recreational activities. In Delaware, the plant is known only to Sussex County.
Photo credit: Gene Nieminen, USFWS -
Red knots (Calidris canutus ssp. rufa) are teacup-sized migratory shorebirds that are true masters of long-distance aviation. These birds fly more than 9,300 miles from South America to the Arctic each spring and repeat the trip in reverse each autumn. Before returning to their summer habitat in the Arctic, they stop off in Delaware to feed on the eggs of horseshoe crabs to fuel up for the long flight.
Photo credit: USFWS