Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Least Concern | |
| 2018 | Least Concern | |
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Least Concern | |
| 2009 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Least Concern | |
| 2004 | Least Concern | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 13,600,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 20,600,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 136000-191000 mature individuals | good | estimated | 2023 |
| Population trend | decreasing | - | estimated | - |
| Generation length | 7.01 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: The species has a relatively large estimated population size of 204,000 to 287,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2023), with the number of mature individuals calculated as two-thirds of this range. The population in Arctic Canada is estimated at 68,750 mature individuals (Smith et al. in prep.).
Trend justification:
Considering its population trend over three generations (c. 21 years), data availability varies considerably across the five recognised flyway populations, which breed in north-east Canada, Greenland, Iceland, northern Europe and western Siberia, respectively (Wetlands International 2023). Data from the Christmas Bird Count (Meehan et al. 2022) indicate that it has remained broadly stable in north-east Canada and the eastern USA, albeit with interannual fluctuations, following an earlier decline. Over much the same period and region, Partners in Flight (2023) reports an increase of c. 8%, albeit with large confidence intervals, while eBird suggests a decline since 2011 (Fink et al. 2023). The trends of the breeding populations in Greenland, Iceland, Europe and Russia are uncertain, although there is some evidence for a decline in Iceland (BirdLife International 2021) and for a northwards contraction in the Fennoscandian breeding range between the first and second European breeding bird atlases (Keller et al. 2020). Numbers wintering in coastal north-west Europe may have declined by c. 20%, but there are marked interannual fluctuations and only a small proportion of the population is monitored (van Roomen et al. 2022). Accordingly, the global population trend is estimated to be decreasing.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | extant | native | yes | |||
| Canada | extant | native | yes | |||
| Denmark | extant | native | yes | |||
| Estonia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Finland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| France | extant | native | yes | |||
| Germany | extant | native | yes | |||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iceland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ireland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Italy | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Latvia | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Morocco | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Netherlands | extant | native | yes | |||
| Norway | extant | native | yes | |||
| Poland | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Portugal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Spain | extant | native | yes | |||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sweden | extant | native | yes | |||
| Switzerland | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| United Kingdom | extant | native | yes | |||
| USA | extant | native | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grassland | Tundra | major | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Mud Flats and Salt Flats | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | major | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | major | breeding |
| Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | suitable | breeding | |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Tundra Wetlands (incl. pools and temporary waters from snowmelt) | major | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 1500 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Marine & freshwater aquaculture - Industrial aquaculture | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
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| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Whole (>90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic species/disease of unknown origin - Unspecified species | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water - Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Pollution | Industrial & military effluents - Oil spills | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Past, Likely to Return | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Past Impact | ||||||
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| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
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| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
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| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/purple-sandpiper-calidris-maritima on 23/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/11/2024.