Calidris ptilocnemis
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The rock sandpiper (Calidris ptilocnemis) is a small shorebird in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae. This is a hardy sandpiper that breeds in the arctic and subarctic regions of Alaska and the Chukotka and Kamchatka Peninsulas. It is closely related to the purple sandpiper that breeds in arctic regions of northeast Canada and the northwest Palearctic, and in the past was often considered conspecific with it.
The rock sandpiper was formally described in 1873 by the American ornithologist Elliott Coues and given the binomial name Tringa ptilocnemis. It was formerly sometimes placed in the genus Erolia, but is now placed with 23 other sandpipers in the genus Calidris that was introduced in 1804 by the German naturalist Blasius Merrem. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific epithet ptilocnemis combines the Ancient Greek ptilon meaning "feather" with knēmē meaning "leg". Within the genus Calidris the rock sandpiper is sister to the purple sandpiper (Calidris maritima), and next most closely related to the sanderling (Calidris alba) and dunlin (Calidris alpina).
Four subspecies... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rock Sandpiper sighting in Redwood National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 171st most-seen of the 226 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rock Sandpiper in Redwood National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months. That is one of Redwood National Park's wettest months, with about 290 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rock Sandpiper sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Rock Sandpiper sightings, Redwood National Park has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, under 5%) and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (Canada, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rock Sandpiper is recorded against all the birds logged in Redwood National Park (23 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
