Ruddy Turnstone

The Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) is a small wading bird, one of two species of Turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the Sandpiper family. The Ruddy Turnstone is a highly migratory bird, breeding in northern parts of Eurasia and North America and flying south to winter on coastlines almost worldwide. It is the only species of Turnstone in much of its range and is often known simply as Turnstone.

About Ruddy Turnstones

Ruddy Turnstones are very intriguing birds and are quite a sight to see for birdwatchers everywhere. Watching them in their natural habitats is very fun, and they’re also quite easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for!

That’s why we have compiled an article with all the necessary information needed to identify and see these birds. This article will be a guide to help you learn how to identify Ruddy Turnstones through their behaviors and teach you more about their natural habitat so you know where to look for them.

These coastline birds are very migratory in nature and can be seen on coastlines almost worldwide so the chances of seeing them are very high if you know exactly what to look for. Here’s a compilation of ways you can identify these amazing birds in the wild. We’ll be touching on all these topics to help make your journey on spotting these birds easier.

● Ruddy Turnstone Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Ruddy Turnstone Size, Eating behavior, Habitat
● Ruddy Turnstone Range and Migration, Nesting

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Ruddy Turnstone Color Pattern

In all seasons, their plumage is dominated by a harlequin-like pattern of black and white. Breeding birds of this species have reddish-brown upperparts with black markings. Their heads are 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. They have bright orange legs.

During flight, they reveal a white wing bar, white patch near the base of their wings, white lower backs, rump, and tail with dark bands on the upper tail-coverts and near the tip of the tail. The female is slightly duller than the male and has a browner head with more streaking. Non-breeding adults are duller than breeding birds and have dark grey-brown upperparts with black mottling and a dark head with little white. Juvenile birds have a pale brown head and pale fringes to the upper part feathers creating a scaly impression.

Description and Identification

The best part about Ruddy Turnstones is the fact that there are a plethora of ways to identify them in nature. They have a lot of characteristics that make it easy to recognize them in the wild. Their harlequinesque plumage is a perfect example of this. Their markings are very distinctive and make it easy to identify them now, as opposed to earlier when they were commonly mistaken for other birds. After a long while of studying these birds, all misconceptions were cleared and they are now successfully classified under the Sandpiper family.

Apart from their plumage, markings, and size, their behaviors are also very distinct identifying factors. Their call and song, for example, are a great giveaway. The Ruddy Turnstone has a staccato, rattling call, and also a chattering alarm call which is mainly given during the breeding season. Some sub-species of Ruddy Turnstones even have darker upper parts and less streaking on the crown.

It is also easy to tell the difference between males and females of the Ruddy Turnstone species because of their markings and the brightness of their plumage.

Ruddy Turnstone Song

Ruddy Turnstones are noisy and vocal shorebirds, and the male calls more frequently than the female. The most frequent call is a staccato chuckle or rattle which they give year-round in feeding groups, on the breeding grounds, and in flight.

Alarm calls are sharp, metallic notes repeated irregularly either from the ground or in flight. The male also gives a longer chattering alarm call.

Their calls are also different when they are in a flock, making them a little more of a cacophonous melody.

Ruddy Turnstone Size

Ruddy Turnstones are a fairly small and stocky bird species. They average at 8.7–9.4 inches long with a wingspan of 20–22 inches. They weigh about 85–150 grams on average.

Their dark, wedge-shaped bills are around 0.79–0.98 inches long and slightly upturned. Their legs are fairly short, standing at 1.4 in and they are bright orange.

Ruddy Turnstone Behavior

Ruddy Turnstones are a very social species when they aren’t breeding or competing for food. They even form small groups of tens to many thousands and mix with other species of shorebirds.

During the breeding season, Ruddy Turnstones are aggressive and territorial. They are also aggressive outside of the breeding seasons towards other shorebirds when they are competing for food. Ruddy turnstones can fly quickly for long distances, more than 1000 kilometers per day during migration, which is why they have a worldwide coastline range and are described as highly migratory birds.

All Ruddy Turnstone populations are migratory, traveling great distances across oceans and hemispheres to reach breeding and wintering grounds. Most Ruddy Turnstones arrive on breeding grounds in May and June and depart for wintering grounds in late July through September, depending on latitude.

Ruddy Turnstones flip rocks, pebbles, and seaweed along shorelines in search of food. They rarely wade in waters more than a few inches deep, generally foraging out of the water where the surf deposits shells, rocks, and seaweed. During migration and on the wintering grounds they gather in groups of 10 to over 1,000. They are strong fliers and speed past making sharp turns like many other shorebirds. Pairs are monogamous and territorial on the breeding grounds, often returning to the same area to mate with the same individual year after year.

Ruddy Turnstone Diet

Ruddy Turnstones feed primarily on adult and larval flies and midges during the breeding season. They uncover their prey by flipping over rocks, pebbles, shells, or seaweed with their stout, slightly upturned bills. They also eat spiders, beetles, bees, and wasps. During the nonbreeding season, they have a more diverse diet, eating everything from small crustaceans to mollusks, to bird eggs. If they come across an unattended Gull or Tern nest they readily break open the eggs and eat the contents. They also pick at dead fish and mammals that wash up on the shores in early summer when insects have yet to emerge.

Ruddy Turnstone Habitat

Ruddy Turnstones breed along rocky coasts and in the tundra across the High Arctic. In North America, they breed in sparsely vegetated tundra near marshes, streams, and ponds. During migration, they stop along coastal rocky and sandy beaches, mudflats, and shorelines of freshwater lakes to refuel. On their wintering grounds, they congregate along rocky shorelines, mudflats, deltas, and sandy beaches.

Range and Migration

Ruddy Turnstones are long-distance migrants. In North America, Ruddy Turnstones migrate to western Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, South America, and the west and east coasts of North America. Some birds of this species even travel more than 6,500 miles between breeding and nonbreeding grounds.

Ruddy Turnstone Lifecycle

Ruddy Turnstones lay, on average, around 4 eggs, sometimes 2-3 as well. The eggs are olive-green to olive-buff, and blotched with dark brown. Both the male and females of the species help with incubating the eggs for 22-24 days. These birds are very independent and tend to grow pretty fast. The downy young leave the nest shortly after hatching. Both parents care for their young at first, but males take a greater role in caregiving, and females usually depart before the young are old enough to fly. Males lead young to food at first, but young feed themselves. Their age at first flight is around 19-21 days, and they are usually independent thereafter.

Ruddy Turnstones are one of the longest living wader species that exist today. Their average lifespan is 9 years with 19 years and 2 months.

Nesting

In courtship, male Ruddy Turnstones pursue the females, in the air and on the ground. Males may approach females in a hunched posture, raising and lowering their tails. Their nest site is on the ground, either in the open or concealed among rocks or under plants. The nest is built by females and is located in shallow depressions with slight linings of leaves.

Male and female Ruddy Turnstones explore potential nest sites within the male’s territory. Both make small scrapes in the ground with their bodies, but the female chooses the nesting location.

Once she finds a spot, she makes a scrape, typically at the edge of tundra vegetation near a wet area and out of the wind. At other times she makes a scrape on bare gravel or in sand barrens. The female makes a scrape in the ground by twisting her body to and fro to form a small depression. She collects small pieces of the surrounding vegetation such as lichens or willows to line the bottom of the depression.

Anatomy of a Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstones are stocky, medium-sized waders with short orange-red legs. Their bills are wedge-shaped and slightly up-tilted. Their breast is distinctively marked with black or brown and pale areas, almost like a tortoiseshell, with a white breast. The brown upper parts turn a rich reddish-brown when breeding and the bands on the face and neck turn black. In flight, there is a distinctive black and white pattern. This species is also known as Turnstone, Sea-Dotterel, and Calico, or Beach Bird.

Final Thoughts

Ruddy Turnstones have proven themselves to be not only an adorable species of bird but also extremely clever and interesting due to their behavior in the wild. Be it their breeding behaviors, or even their migratory pattern and range.

These remarkable birds are luckily listed as Least Concern in the IUCN, but that doesn’t imply that they aren’t in danger of habitat loss and population decline. Though these birds are abundant in nature and easy to see on worldwide coastlines, they still face threats on passage due to economic and social pressures such as wetland destruction and change, pollution, and hunting. As a bird-watcher, these birds are truly an amazing sight to see. We are lucky they are abundant and span a vast range, making it a little easier for us to spot them in the wild. With their large population and distinct calls, they are every bird-watcher’s dream come true!

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At the Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for IdentifyingRuddy Turnstones

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Ruddy Turnstones are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Ruddy Turnstone Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Ruddy Turnstone. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders For Ruddy Turnstones

There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.

Bird HousesFor Ruddy Turnstones

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.