mdahlem.net WWW

Birds of Oman home   Bird names   News    Family groups 1-26    Tips   Glossary   Plumage   Thumbnails    General information    Credits    PHOTOS FOR SALE
NON-PASSERINES     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10     11     12     13     14	15     16     17     18     19     20     21     22     23     24    25    26    PASSERINES
Common names sorted alphabetically: B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   K   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   V   W

8

Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) Alternate name(s): "Turnstone", "Beach-bird" Size: 21-26 cm; wing span 50-57 cm Weight: 85-190 g

Oman: Family Group 8 Family Group 8 Table Ruddy Turnstone Green Sandpiper Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Terek Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Common Greenshank Marsh Sandpiper Bar-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Godwit Whimbrel Eurasian Curlew Temminck's Stint Sanderling Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Ruddy Turnstones are small, relatively short-legged shorebirds. Their plumage changes between breeding and non-breeding season. During the breeding season, Ruddy Turnstones have a black and white pied head, with a striated cap, white cheek patches white neck patches and a black "bib" extending into a black breast band. Belly and vent are white. The wings are mostly greyish brown in the outer parts, with white and brown stripes and a black stripe in between and a black shoulder patch in the middle of the upperparts. The bill is black, with a white base. The short legs and feet are orange. In eclipse the cheeks, cap and wings all turn mottled dark-greyish brown, while the rest of the plumage remains unchanged in colour.

Taxonomy, classification See Ruddy Turnstone at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the ebird.org website. The global distribution of the Ruddy Turnstone is available HERE . Ruddy Turnstones are a strongly migratory global species of waders, of which there are at least two races. They breed in the northern parts of Eurasia and North America. Race "morinella" populates northern Alaska and in Arctic Canada as far East as Baffin Island. Everywhere else nominate race "interpres" is found, e.g. in Europe and Australia. While not breeding, Ruddy Turnstones can be found along the coastlines of all continents except Antarctica, from the southern parts of the northern hemisphere to almost anywhere along the coastlines in the southern hemisphere. On their migration they can also be found mostly along sea shores and only rarely around inland lakes. In Arabia Ruddy Turnstones, nominate race "interpres", are mainly seen during their migration from their breeding grounds in the Arctic to their winter quarters in the southern hemisphere. During those times they are usually found along the coastline, all around the peninsula. Ruddy Turnstones are usually found on rocky shores, coastal rockfaces, exposed reefs and wave platforms, often where shells and/or seaweeds are present.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "interpres" We have not seen Ruddy Turnstones in Oman yet, but they have been spotted by us in both Europe and Australia.

Photos

Race "interpres"

We have not yet taken photos in Oman. Photos are available from Europe and Australia.

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us:          Last updated: Sat, 23 May 2020, 1:28 -05:00