NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Rock Sandpiper
Calidris ptilocnemis (Coues, 1873)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
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.
Wikipedia contributors, Rock sandpiper; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:07:38.841674+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Calidris ptilocnemis (Coues, 1873)
- Name authority
- (Coues, 1873)
- Common name
- Rock Sandpiper
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Calidris
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyScolopacidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusCalidris Merrem, 1804
- speciesCalidris ptilocnemis (Coues, 1873)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Calidris. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima (Brünnich, 1764) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollis (Vieillot, 1819) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| SanderlingCalidris alba (Pallas, 1764) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferruginea (Pontoppidan, 1763) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopus (Bonaparte, 1826) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western SandpiperCalidris mauri (Cabanis, 1857) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos (Vieillot, 1819) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little StintCalidris minuta (Leisler, 1812) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusilla (Linnaeus, 1766) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollis (Pallas, 1776) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii (Leisler, 1812) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris (Horsfield, 1821) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176647 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:PK4F. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.