Purple Sandpiper

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Purple Sandpiper, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern	Red listed
Species of European Conservation Concern	Least Concern
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	Yes
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	WCA(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA

Purple Sandpipers prefer northern, exposed, shallow rocky shores in winter. High concentrations occur along the coasts of the northern North Sea, Northern Isles and Outer Hebrides and around exposed headlands in Ireland. Elsewhere, occupied areas around Wales and southeastern and southern England hold very few birds. Purple Sandpiper is among the UK's rarest breeding species, with occasional breeding in the Scottish Highlands.

Purple Sandpipers are winter visitors; returning birds can arrive from June onwards.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Maximum Age from Ringing	15 years 2 months 27 days (set in 1997)
Typical Lifespan	6 years with breeding typically at 2 year
Adult Survival	0.795±0.028

Wing Length	Adults	131.8±4.1 | Range 125–138mm, N=1533
	Juveniles	130.4±3.9 | Range 123-136mm, N=115

Body Weight	Adults	70.8±9 | Range 57.0–86.0g, N=1524
	Juveniles	67.6±7.6 | Range 55.0–80.0g, N=114

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	B+ or C2
Field Codes	2-letter: PS | 5-letter code: PURSA | Euring: 5100

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