They are a migratory bird which breeds in Siberia, Russia, and flies to southern Asia and Australia in the northern winter.

The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds.

The species is also recorded in low numbers in western Alaska, United States, most years, and has occurred as a vagrant in British Columbia, Canada, and in Oregon, West Virginia, and Maine, in the U.S. Calidris tenuirostris, commonly known as the great knot, is the largest species of the genus Calidris (sandpiper), in the family Scolopacidae.

In other plumages, the great knot can be identified by its larger size, longer bill, deeper chest, and the more streaked upper parts.

The great knot is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.