For details point at or click the
Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima [Brünnich, 1764]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Charadriiformes
Family:
Scolopacidae
BTO Codes:
PS , PURSA
EURING No:
5100
Number in Britain:
18 thousand birds (Winter)
Conservation Status:
UK:
AMBER
European:
Not a species of concern
Global:
Least Concern
View video clips from
IBC
Status in UK:
(A) Scarce Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies:
Monotypic
.
Length:
21 cm
Wingspan:
44 cm
Weight:
M/F: 65 g
Scientific name from:
Gr.: kalidris =grey waterside bird described by Aristotle
and L.: maritimus =of the sea (from mare =the sea)
World Distribution:
BREEDS arctic& subarctic Eurasia & North America, WINTERS: south to s Europe and s US
Habitat:
Tundra, moor, heath, on migration rocky coasts
Diet:
Invertebrates, also some plant material, often feeds on rocks near tide edge
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Winter:
18 thousand individuals
in 1994-99
Summer:
1 to 3 pairs
in
First Record:
1798
[Fossil evidence from
early Holocene, up to 10,000 yr ago]
First Breeding Record:
nw Scotland 1978
Latest Survey:
Smith, R.D. & Summers, R.W. (2005) British Birds 98:579-588
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
28 to 74 thousand pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
38 x 27 mm
Egg Weight:
13.3 g (of which 5 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
0
Clutch Size:
4 eggs
Incubation:
21 - 22 days
by the:
Male (occ. Female)
Fledging:
15 - 28 days
as:
Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
Does not breed in Britain, or too few Nest Records
Number of Broods:
1
Number Ringed:
101
Adult Survival:
0.79
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
2
years
Typical Lifespan:
6
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
13yr11m
(Sweden: 19yr 6m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
B+ or C2
Wing Length
Adult:
131.8 ± 4.1
Range
125 - 138 mm, N =1533
Juvenile:
130.4 ± 3.9
123 - 136 mm, N =115
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Weight
Adult:
70.85 ± 8.99
Range
57.00 - 86.00 g , N =1524
Juvenile:
67.64 ± 7.59
55.00 - 80.00 g , N =114
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Gaelic:
Luatharan-rìoghail
Welsh:
Pibydd Du
Danish:
Sortgrå ryle
Dutch:
Paarse strandloper
Finnish:
Merisirri
French:
Bécasseau violet
German:
Meerstrandläufer
Hungarian:
Tengeri partfutó
Icelandic:
Sendlingur
Irish:
Gobadán Cosbhuí
Italian:
Piovanello violetto
Norwegian:
Fjæreplytt
Polish:
Biegus morski
Portuguese:
Pilrito-escuro
Spanish:
Correlimos oscuro
Swedish:
Skärsnäppa
Local Names: Grollick
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
No books written recently
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
BirdFacts home | BTO Home birdfacts@bto.org These data should be cited as:
© British Trust for Ornithology, | Privacy Statement
button; for sources point at the 
button
Other Names
