Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritima
The Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima) is a common sandpiper found in 33 countries, weighing about 65 g. The purple sandpiper is a small shorebird in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae.
About the Purple Sandpiper
The purple sandpiper is a small shorebird in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae. This is a hardy sandpiper that breeds in the arctic and subarctic regions of Eurasia and North America and winters further south on the Atlantic coast.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Adults have short yellow legs and a medium thin dark bill with a yellow base. The body is dark on top with a slight purplish gloss and mainly white underneath. The breast is smeared with grey and the rump is black. They measure 20–22 cm (7.9–8.7 in) in length and 42–46 cm (17–18 in) across the wings, and weight is from 50–105 g (1.8–3.7 oz).
What the Purple Sandpiper sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, October, November, December, with peak activity in January. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Purple Sandpiper?
- Adults have short yellow legs and a medium thin dark bill with a yellow base. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Purple Sandpiper?
- The Purple Sandpiper is a medium sized bird weighing about 65 g.
- Where can you see a Purple Sandpiper?
- The Purple Sandpiper occurs in 33 countries, including the United States, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom and Canada.
- What does a Purple Sandpiper sound like?
- You can listen to 2 field recordings of the Purple Sandpiper on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Purple Sandpiper?
- The Purple Sandpiper is most easily confused with the Temminck's Stint, the White-rumped Sandpiper and the Red-necked Stint.
- Is the Purple Sandpiper endangered?
- The Purple Sandpiper is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Purple Sandpiper for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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