General

Ruddy Turnstone: Medium-sized sandpiper with red-brown upperparts and white rump and underparts. Face and breast are black-marked. Bill is thin, 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 are distinctly orange. Sexes are similar. Winter adult and juvenile are duller.

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.

Breeding and Nesting

Ruddy Turnstone: Two to four olive to olive buff eggs marked with brown and black are laid in a ground hollow lined with bits of grass and dead leaves, often built under a low bush. Incubation ranges from 21 to 23 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Ruddy Turnstone: Feeds mainly on insects, particularly midges, and some plant material in summer. Eats mollusks, crustaceans, and even carrion in winter; forages on seashores, turning over stones and other debris with its bill.

Vocalization

Ruddy Turnstone: Makes a staccato "tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk" or "kek-kek-kek" while feeding.

Similar Species

Ruddy Turnstone: Black Turnstone is darker in winter plumage, has all-dark breast, duller legs, and lacks any trace of red-brown back feathers. Surfbird has yellow legs and more uniform coloration.