Ruddy Turnstone

Overview

Ruddy Turnstone: Medium sandpiper, red-brown upperparts, white rump and underparts. Face and breast are black-marked. Bill is short, dark, and slightly upturned. Wings have a unique brown, black, and white pattern visible in flight. Tail is white with black terminal band. Legs and feet are orange.

Range and Habitat

Ruddy Turnstone: Breeds on coastal tundra in northwestern Alaska and on islands of Canadian Arctic. Spends winters on coasts from Connecticut and Oregon southward to the Gulf Coast; also found in Eurasia.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Ruddy Turnstone was first described in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist.
As part of courtship, males makes nest-like scrapes in the ground within their territory, often close to the final site selected by the female.
As their name suggests, turnstones often forage by turning over stones and other objects.
A group of sandpipers has many collective nouns, including a "bind", "contradiction", "fling", "hill", and "time-step" of sandpipers.

The Ruddy Turnstone is commonly known as simply a Turnstone, and is a small wading bird. This species migrates to warmer climates during winter months along the coastlines around the world. Breeding grounds for the Ruddy Turnstone are found in northern Europe, Asia and North America. The preferred breeding habitats are found only a short distance from the ocean, and may be found in multiple northern latitudes around the world. Mates usually stay together for more than one year, and nests are shallow scrapes on the ground. The conservation rating for the Ruddy Turnstone is Least Concern.