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      male ring ouzels are particularly distinctive with their black plumage with a pale wing panel and striking white breast band.

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  • Purple sandpiper

Purple sandpiper

Purple sandpiper (winter plumage)
Purple sandpiper (winter plumage)
  • Scientific name: Calidris maritima
  • Bird family: Sandpipers, snipes and phalaropes
  • UK conservation status: Amber
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Key information

The purple sandpiper is a medium-sized wading birds that is larger, stockier and darker than a dunlin. It is mainly dark grey above and whitish below. It has a downcurved beak and short bright orange legs. In flight, it shows a thin white wing-stripe.

A couple of pairs nest in Scotland, but this species is mainly a winter visitor to almost any rocky coast in the UK. Most are found in Orkney, Shetland and along the east coast of Scotland and northern England - it is scarce south of Yorkshire, other than Devon and Cornwall. The breeding areas in Scotland are kept secret to protect the birds from egg thieves and disturbance.

It is listed on Schedule 1 of The Wildlife and Countryside Act.

What they eat:

Winkles, insects, spiders, crustaceans and plants.

Measurements:

Length:
20-22 cm
Wingspan:
40-44 cm
Weight:
60-75 g

Population:

UK breeding:
1-3 pairs
UK wintering:
13,000 birds

Identifying features:

Purple sandpiper (winter plumage)

Purple sandpiper
Feather colour: Black Brown Grey Pink/purple White
Leg colour: Orange
Beak: Black Orange Long Medium thickness
Natural habitats: Marine and intertidal

Similar birds:

  • Dunlin, breeding plumage
    Dunlin
  • Turnstone, summer plumage
    Turnstone

Where and when to see them

You can see purple sandpipers around the coast, particularly on the east coast north of the Humber. A good place to look can be around piers and groynes and also on stony beaches and mussel beds at low tide.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Purple sandpiper distribution map

It is best to look out for purple sandpipers in winter.

  • jan
  • feb
  • mar
  • apr
  • may
  • jun
  • jul
  • aug
  • sep
  • oct
  • nov
  • dec

RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Marwick Head

Video

Video

Video footage of a purple sandpiper near the sea.

Video footage of a purple sandpiper near the sea.

Play video
Purple sandpiper video screenshot.

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