Photo: peterichman / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritima
Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima) — Shorebirds, Gulls & Auks of North America.
Found across 20 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima) is a member of the Scolopacidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia and North America. Adults weigh 65.1 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Charadriiformes
- Family Scolopacidae Sandpipers, Snipes
- Genus Calidris
- Species maritima
Where it lives
High to low montane Arctic of North Atlantic and Arctic oceans: Greenland (except northern, northeastern), Iceland, Jan Mayen (northeast of Iceland), Bear I. and Svalbard (north of Norway), Scandinavia to far northwestern Russia, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya (north of northwestern Siberia) and Severnaya Zemlya and Taymyr Pen. (north-central Siberia); Banks to southern Ellesmere and Baffin is. (north-central Canada)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 65.1 g
- Diet
- Aquatic hunters
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Habitat
- Grassland & open country
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Purple Sandpiper hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Behaviour
A bird of open grassland, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Purple Sandpiper is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima) is a species of sandpipers, snipes in the family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes. It is found in North America, Europe & Northern Asia — high to low montane Arctic of North Atlantic and Arctic oceans: Greenland (except n, ne), Iceland, Jan Mayen (ne of Iceland), Bear I. and Svalbard (n of Norway), Scandinavia to far nw Russia, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya (n of nw Siberia) and Severnaya Zemlya and Taymyr Pen. (nc Siberia); Banks to s Ellesmere and Baffin is. (nc Canada).
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Purple Sandpiper?
The Purple Sandpiper is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 65.1 g.
Where does the Purple Sandpiper live?
The Purple Sandpiper is found across Europe & Northern Asia and North America with a range covering NA, PAL high to low montane Arctic of North Atlantic and Arctic oceans: Greenland (except n, ne), Iceland, Jan Mayen (ne of Iceland), Bear I. and Svalbard (n of Norway), Scandinavia to far nw Russia, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya (n of nw Siberia) and Severnaya Zemlya and Taymyr Pen. (nc Siberia); Banks to s Ellesmere and Baffin is. (nc Canada), where it favours open grassland, scrub and lightly vegetated country.
What family does the Purple Sandpiper belong to?
The Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima) belongs to the Scolopacidae family, in the order Charadriiformes.
What does the Purple Sandpiper eat?
The Purple Sandpiper hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Does the Purple Sandpiper migrate?
The Purple Sandpiper is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Purple Sandpiper endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Purple Sandpiper make?
1 real field recording of the Purple Sandpiper — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Purple Sandpiper's range?
The Purple Sandpiper has a mapped global range of about 2 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
Explore more birds
More in Scolopacidae
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Near Threatened
More in Shorebirds
Near Threatened
Not Evaluated
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Vulnerable
Least Concern