MONTANA FIELD GUIDE™

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- Kingdom - Animals - Animalia
  - Phylum - Vertebrates - Craniata
    - Class - Birds - Aves
      - Order - Shorebirds - Charadriiformes
        
        Family - Sandpipers - Scolopacidae
        
        Species - Purple Sandpiper - Calidris maritima

Purple Sandpiper - Calidris maritima

Native Species
Accidental Species

Global Rank: G5
State Rank: SNA

Agency Status
USFWS: MBTA
USFS:
BLM:
PIF:

General Description

Purple Sandpiper breeds in Arctic and sub-Arctic latitudes from Canada and Greenland east to northern Russia. The species is accidental in the inland United States (Payne and Pierce 2002).

For a comprehensive review of the conservation status, habitat use, and ecology of this and other Montana bird species, please see Marks et al. 2016, Birds of Montana.

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database

Data Use Terms and Conditions
Map Help and Descriptions

Number of Observations: 1
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)

Relative Density

Recency

SUMMER (Feb 16 - Dec 14)

Direct Evidence of Breeding

Indirect Evidence of Breeding

No Evidence of Breeding

WINTER (Dec 15 - Feb 15)

Regularly Observed

Not Regularly Observed

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)

Stewardship Responsibility

References

Literature Cited AboveLegend: View Online Publication
- Marks, J.S., P. Hendricks, and D. Casey. 2016. Birds of Montana. Arrington, VA. Buteo Books. 659 pages.
- Payne, L. X. and E. P. Pierce. 2002. Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima), The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/pursan/cur/introduction
Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?
- Hays, R., R.L. Eng, and C.V. Davis (preparers). 1984. A list of Montana birds. Helena, MT: MT Dept. of Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
- Joslin, Gayle, and Heidi B. Youmans. 1999. Effects of recreation on Rocky Mountain wildlife: a review for Montana. [Montana]: Montana Chapter of the Wildlife Society.
- Smith, P. C., and J. S. Bleakney, Jan.-Mar. 1969, Observations on oil pollution and wintering Purple Sandpipers, Erolia maritima (Brunnich), in Nova Scotia
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Dragonflies / Damselflies

Ferns and allies

Conifers

Flowering Plants (Dicots)

Flowering Plants (Monocots)

Citation for data on this website:
Purple Sandpiper — Calidris maritima. MONTANA FIELD GUIDE™. Montana Natural Heritage Program. Retrieved on October 15, 2026, from https://FieldGuide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=ABNNF11150