BIRDS OF ICELAND : Calidris maritima, purple sandpiper

Calidris maritima; the purple sandpiper is, like all sandpipers, a small wader. The first impression one gets is that it is a rather dark sandpiper. This impression is due to the glossy purplish top parts. Given right illumination, it becomes purplish. Bottom parts are light. This in contrast to another sandpiper common in Iceland, Calidris alpina = dunlin, which has a characteristic dark belly during the breeding season. The purple sandpiper is generally found along rocky shores with sea weeds growing on the rocks. However, it can breed in mountainous regions away from the direct sea-shores. In winter many migrants from Greenland and northern Canada flock to Iceland.