Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritima
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyScolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
- GenusCalidris (Calidris Sandpipers)
- SpeciesCalidris maritima (Purple Sandpiper)
About the Purple Sandpiper
The purple sandpiper (Calidris maritima) 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.
The purple sandpiper was formally described in 1764 by the Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich and given the binomial name Tringa maratina. This species was formerly placed in the genus Erolia, but is now placed with 23 other sandpipers in the genus Calidris that was introduced in 1804 by the German naturalist Blasius Merrem. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific epithet maritima is from Latin and means "of the sea", from mare, "sea". The purple sandpiper is currently treated as monotypic with no subspecies recognised, though historically birds from Greenland were sometimes distinguished as C. m. groenlandica Løvenskiold, 1950 and birds from Iceland as C. m. littoralis (Brehm, 1831). Within the genus Calidris the purple sandpiper is sister to the rock sandpiper (Calidris ptilocnemis) and is closely related to the sanderling... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Purple Sandpiper in Cape Breton Highlands National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Calidris pusilla
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Pectoral Sandpiper
Calidris melanotos
White-rumped Sandpiper
Calidris fuscicollis
Red Knot
Calidris canutus
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Solitary Sandpiper
Tringa solitaria
American Woodcock
Scolopax minor
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 4 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Thingvellir National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 8 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 11 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 12 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Purple Sandpiper in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Sandpiper sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Purple Sandpiper in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Purple Sandpiper in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in our monthly data.