Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres

Voice

A rapid, short rattling tuk-a-tuk-tuk or kititit, especially when flushed; flocks give a staccato twittering.

Identification

Sturdily built, with a short, wedge-shaped black bill and short, bright orange legs. In breeding plumage (April–August) the upperparts are chequered chestnut and black, the head white with a black mask and a black breast band that runs up to the bend of the wing; females are duller. In winter it is dark grey-brown above with a broad dark breast band enclosing a white throat patch, and white below. In flight it shows a striking pied pattern: white wingbar, white patches on back and rump, a black band across the rump and a white tail with a black terminal band.

Confusion species

Hard to confuse given its shape, legs and pied flight pattern. In winter plumage it can recall a Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) at a distance, which has a complete narrow breast band, a white forehead and a different posture. On sandy beaches a feeding flock may mix with Sanderlings (Calidris alba), which are much whiter and have black bills and legs.

Habitat

Rocky and stony shores, coral flats, beaches with tideline wrack, weedy tidal flats, harbour walls and jetties; also mangrove and lagoon shores. It flips stones, shells and seaweed with its bill and readily forages among stranded rubbish. Inland only on passage, scarce at salt lakes and reservoirs.

Range and movements

A passage migrant and winter visitor along all coasts. In North Africa along the Atlantic coast of Morocco and Western Sahara (notably Dakhla Bay and Khnifiss), along the Mediterranean from Tunisia (Gulf of Gabès) and Libya to Egypt, and on Egypt's Red Sea coast and the Gulf of Suez. In Arabia it is common on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia and Yemen, around Socotra, on the coasts of Oman (Barr al Hikman, Masirah) and along the Persian Gulf from the Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain to Kuwait and southern Iraq. In Israel, Lebanon and Syria mainly a passage migrant in small numbers. In April–May and August–October flocks also cross land, so it then appears scarcely at inland waters. Beyond the region it breeds on Arctic tundra and coasts around the pole and winters on almost all tropical and temperate coasts.

• Resident
• Summer visitor (c. Oct–Mar)
• Winter visitor (c. Apr–Sep)
• Passage (Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov)
• dark = core range, pale = thinly spread

How and when to look

In the Gulf states and Oman turnstones often walk rather tamely over jetties, harbours and beaches, for example at Al Qurm (Muscat) and on the coastal flats of Abu Dhabi. In April look for birds in breeding plumage among the winter birds: the difference between males and females is then easy to see.

Conservation status

Near Threatened. The global population is declining, mainly through loss of coastal roosts and feeding areas, disturbance and Arctic warming. In the region, coastal flats in the Gulf and along the Red Sea are under pressure from land reclamation, port construction and oil pollution; key wintering sites such as Barr al Hikman and Dakhla Bay deserve protection.

Scientific name

Arenaria interpres | (Linnaeus, 1758)

Linnaeus described the species in 1758 as Tringa Interpres; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Arenaria was introduced in 1760 by Brisson. Arenaria is from Latin arenarius 'inhabiting sand', from arena 'sand'. interpres is Latin for 'messenger' or 'interpreter': on Gotland Linnaeus took the Swedish word tolk to apply to this bird, but in the local dialect it means 'legs' and refers to the redshank. The specimen the first description was based on came from Gotland, Sweden.