The purple sandpiper (Calidris maritima) is a small shorebird in the Scolopacidae family that breeds in the arctic and subarctic regions of Eurasia and North America, migrating south to winter along the Atlantic coast.
Adults have short yellow legs, a dark bill with a yellow base, and a body that is dark on top with a purplish sheen and white underneath. They measure 20–22 cm in length and weigh 50–105 g.
Their breeding range spans from northern Canada to Greenland, Iceland, and parts of Scandinavia, typically in low tundra areas or barren mountains. In winter, they can be found along the North American coast as far south as South Carolina and on the eastern Atlantic coast down to France and northern Iberia.
In Britain, they are common winter visitors along the east and south coasts but are rare as breeders, primarily noted in a localized area of the Cairngorms National Park. They are late migrants that favor rocky, ice-free shores and often form small flocks, often alongside Ruddy Turnstones.
