Sandpipers · Shorebirds
Ruddy Turnstone
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Arenaria interpres
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Voice
Call
Alarm
Call
How to recognize it
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23 cm, like a starling
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Chestnut-brown back in summer, black breast
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Short bright orange legs
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Often flips stones and shells while feeding
About the species
Ruddy Turnstone spends a lot of its time working over shorelines, pushing at stones, seaweed, and other debris to reach what is hidden underneath. Its bill is slightly upturned, and its call is a sharp, rattling “chiff-chiff” with a chattering alarm note.
It usually feeds in flocks and uses a mix of pecking, probing, and flipping things over to find invertebrates. In the breeding season, insects and larvae matter most, while at other times it also takes crustaceans, molluscs, worms, and spiders. It may also eat carrion, eggs, fish, and plant material.
It breeds in open tundra near water, then moves to coasts outside the breeding season, especially rocky or stony shores, breakwaters, and jetties. Some stay in the winter range all year, and others migrate far south, reaching coastlines across much of the world.
Where to find
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On stone embankments, breakwaters, and bridge piers — where it flips pebbles and wedges its bill under loose edges in quick, jerky bursts.
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Along canal banks, pond margins, and shallow bays with sand or shell grit — especially when a small flock works methodically over the ground.
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By docks and concrete slipways at the waterline — easiest to notice among wet rocks, seaweed, and debris after low tide.
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On open grassy patches and vacant lots near the coast — look for a low, compact shape trotting a few steps, then freezing before the next search.
