Small gregarious shore bird Calidris alpina of the sandpiper family Scolopacidae, order Charadriformes, about 18 cm/7 in long, nesting on moors and marshes in the far northern regions of Eurasia and North America. Chestnut above and black below in summer, it is greyish in winter; the bill and feet are black.

It is the commonest small sandpiper and frequents flat coasts and tidal rivers of Britain.