Page 185 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WADERS
Order Charadriiformes Family Scolopacidae Species Arenaria interpres
Turnstone strongly patterned
black and white
head stout, tapered
bill
white patch and
white stripe on wings black, white, and
back bright chestnut
upperparts
bold black
breast-band
ADULT
(WINTER)
white underside
IN FLIGHT
irregular whitish ADULT
marbling on dark (SUMMER)
dark brown and black head and neck short, vivid
orange legs
upperparts (more
buff feather edges
on juvenile)
dull brown-
black breast
ADULT
(WINTER)
hile most waders like soft ground, chiefly mud or sand, the
WTurnstone is equally at home on rocks, although sandy beaches FLIGHT: fast, low, flickering.
with a tangle of seaweed,shells,and small stones at the high-tide mark
are ideal for it. It makes a good living searching through such debris,
which is very rich in small invertebrates and regularly refreshed by
high tides.Turnstones are typically
noisy, active, and often quite tame.
VOICE Fast, hard, staccato calls,
tukatukatuk, teuk, tchik.
NESTING Scantily lined scrape
on ground close to shore in
islands and on rocky coasts;
4 eggs; 1 brood; May–July.
FEEDING Stirs up and turns over TIGHT ROOST QUARRELSOME FEEDERS
weed, stones, shells, and beach High tide sees scores of Turnstones packed close Small groups of Turnstones bicker as they
debris to find invertebrates. together for an hour or two. feed along the shore.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Breeds on rocky coasts around
PURPLE SANDPIPER longer DUNLIN winter; Scandinavia. At other times, on
see p.182 bill see p.178 finer bill
sea coasts of all kinds, from open
mud to rocks, but especially hard
coasts and gravelly tidelines.
Occasional migrants turn up
small and inland but soon move on.
dark paler
Seen in the UK
dull legs
J F M A M JJ AS O N D
Length 21–24cm (8 1 ⁄2 –9 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 44–49cm (17 1 ⁄2 –19 1 ⁄2in) Weight 80–110g (2 7 ⁄8 –3 5 ⁄8oz)
Social Flocks Lifespan Up to 10 years Status Secure
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