Purple Sandpiper vs African Snipe

Calidris maritima compared with Gallinago nigripennis

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Purple Sandpiper African Snipe
Scientific Name Calidris maritima Gallinago nigripennis
Order Charadriiformes Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae Scolopacidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length — —
Wingspan 24.2 cm (9.5 in) 25.1 cm (9.9 in)
Weight 76.66666666666667 g (2.70 oz) 124.25 g (4.38 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 3-4 2-4
Population Trend — —

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Purple Sandpiper only

None

African Snipe only

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Purple Sandpiper

Least Concern

African Snipe

About These Birds

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper: 20–22 cm, dark purplish-grey sandpiper specialising in rocky coasts and wave-washed seaweed-covered rocks in the North Atlantic and High Arctic. Breeds on Arctic tundra and rocky coasts; winters on rocky northern shores of Europe and North America. Feeds on invertebrates among kelp and barnacles. Extremely site-faithful in winter.

African Snipe

African Snipe: 25–28 cm, medium-large snipe resident in high-altitude wetlands, bogs, and marshy grassland of eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia and Sudan to the Cape. Cryptic brown-and-buff streaking. Probes soft mud for invertebrates. Sedentary. Performs display 'drumming' flights with spread tail in breeding season.

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