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Purple Sandpiper

ID Info
Purple Sandpiper by Brian Kushner
Silhouette SandpipersSandpipers

Purple Sandpiper

Calidris maritima
  • ORDER: Charadriiformes
  • FAMILY: Scolopacidae
Basic Description

A stout shorebird, the Purple Sandpiper breeds in the tundra and winters along rocky shores of the Atlantic Coast. Despite its name, it appears mostly slate-gray in winter, with only a faint purplish gloss, and shows no purple at all in breeding plumage.

More ID Info
image of range map for Purple SandpiperRange map provided by Birds of North AmericaExplore Maps
Other Names
  • Correlimos Oscuro (Spanish)
  • Bécasseau violet (French)
  • Cool Facts

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Species in This Family

Sandpipers and Allies(Order: Charadriiformes, Family:Scolopacidae)

Upland SandpiperUpland Sandpiper
WhimbrelWhimbrel
Long-billed CurlewLong-billed Curlew
Hudsonian GodwitHudsonian Godwit
Marbled GodwitMarbled Godwit
Ruddy TurnstoneRuddy Turnstone
Black TurnstoneBlack Turnstone
Red KnotRed Knot
SurfbirdSurfbird
Stilt SandpiperStilt Sandpiper
SanderlingSanderling
DunlinDunlin
Rock SandpiperRock Sandpiper
Purple SandpiperPurple Sandpiper
Baird's SandpiperBaird's Sandpiper
Least SandpiperLeast Sandpiper
White-rumped SandpiperWhite-rumped Sandpiper
Buff-breasted SandpiperBuff-breasted Sandpiper
Pectoral SandpiperPectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated SandpiperSemipalmated Sandpiper
Western SandpiperWestern Sandpiper
Short-billed DowitcherShort-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed DowitcherLong-billed Dowitcher
American WoodcockAmerican Woodcock
Wilson's SnipeWilson's Snipe
Wilson's PhalaropeWilson's Phalarope
Red-necked PhalaropeRed-necked Phalarope
Red PhalaropeRed Phalarope
Spotted SandpiperSpotted Sandpiper
Solitary SandpiperSolitary Sandpiper
Wandering TattlerWandering Tattler
Greater YellowlegsGreater Yellowlegs
WilletWillet
Lesser YellowlegsLesser Yellowlegs

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