Purple Sandpiper

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Habitat and behaviour

Habitat: Rocky shores (winter).
Diet: Marine invertebrates.
Best time to spot: Tame; loves seaweedy rocks.

When to look

A winter visitor, typically in the UK from October through to April. Numbers peak in January. See the January birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in Bird migration in Britain.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

How rare is it?

The Purple Sandpiper sits in our Rare tier for the UK: scarce or very local, so most birders need a planned trip. It is Red-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the highest level of concern in the UK. It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it is an offence to disturb it at or near the nest. We blur the location of every sighting of this species.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Red KnotUncommon · Estuaries (winter spectacles)
• Buff-breasted SandpiperRare · Short grass (autumn passage)
• Curlew SandpiperRare · Estuaries (autumn passage)
• Little StintRare · Estuaries (autumn passage)
• Pectoral SandpiperRare · Wet meadows (autumn passage)
• Temminck's StintRare · Pools (rare passage)

Kit that helps

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