Ruddy Turnstone Identification Guide

Key Field Marks

• Chunky, short-legged shorebird with a stout, slightly upturned, wedge-shaped bill suited for prying and flipping objects.
• Breeding adult: striking black-and-white harlequin pattern on the face and breast, rufous-chestnut mottled back and wings, and bright orange legs.
• Nonbreeding and juvenile birds are duller brown above and lack the rich rufous tones, but retain a mottled dark breast pattern and the diagnostic orange legs.
• In flight, shows a bold black-and-white pattern on the back, wings, and tail that flashes distinctly.

Separating It From Similar Species

• Black Turnstone, found mainly on the Pacific coast, is overall blackish with white underparts and lacks any rufous coloring; it also has darker legs rather than bright orange.
• No other common shorebird combines the stocky shape, short orange legs, and stout upturned bill of the Ruddy Turnstone, making it fairly distinctive once the shape and leg color are noted.
• Dunlin and other small sandpipers lack the turnstone's bold breast pattern and stouter, upturned bill.

Where and When to Look

• Breeds on High Arctic tundra across northern North America, Greenland, and Eurasia.
• During migration and winter, found along rocky shorelines, jetties, breakwaters, sandy and gravel beaches, and mudflats on nearly every continent's coastline.
• A true long-distance migrant; look for wintering birds on temperate and tropical coastlines from fall through spring, with breeding-plumaged birds passing through in spring migration.

Voice and Behavior

• Gives a distinctive staccato, rattling call, often rendered as a rapid "kek-kek-kek" or chattering trill, frequently in flight or when flushed.
• True to its name, forages by using its bill to flip over stones, shells, and clumps of seaweed to expose hidden invertebrates.
• Often forages in small, active flocks, sometimes mixed with other shorebirds, moving quickly along the tideline.