Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstone

The Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. The scientific name is from Latin. The genus name arenaria derives from arenarius, “inhabiting sand, from arena, “sand”. The specific interpres means “messenger”; when visiting Gotland in 1741, Linnaeus thought that the Swedish word Tolk “interpreter” applied to this species, but in the local dialect the word means “legs” and is used for the redshank.

In all seasons, the plumage is dominated by a harlequin-like pattern of black and white. Breeding birds have reddish-brown upper parts with black markings. The head is mainly white with black streaks on the crown and a black pattern on the face. The breast is mainly black apart from a white patch on the sides. The rest of the underparts are white. In flight it reveals a white wingbar, white patch near the base of the wing and white lower back, rump and tail with dark bands on the uppertail-coverts and near the tip of the tail. The female is slightly duller than the male and has a browner head with more streaking.

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© HJ Ruiz – Avian101

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13 thoughts on “Ruddy Turnstone”

  6. I’ve only seen these once, that I know. It did take me a while to identify them, but you’ve confirmed my ID. There were three birds, and I believe there was a male, a female, and a youngster. There might have been a male and two females, but there was no mistaking the male, with that beautiful color. I’ve learned that once I identify a bird I tend to see them more often, so I’m hopeful that I’ll see more of these this year.

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