Ruddy Turnstones

Ruddy Turnstones make quite a journey. When I saw these two bird besties, they were part of a group of Ruddy Turnstones enjoying the sun and waves on a warm, sandy beach. When it’s breeding season though they’ll head for the arctic tundra.^[1]

What's even more impressive to me is the intrepid spirit of the newborn birds. When they're born, they don't wait around for mom to come with food: they go get it.^{[2, 3]} Then, only two days after they've learned to fly and after their parents have already left, they hit the skies for a long migration.^[4]

Their name, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, comes from their tendency to literally turn over stones in case there might be something tasty underneath.^[5] Mollusks make a fine meal for the Ruddy Turnstone, as do insects.^[2]

I think Ruddy Turnstones are entirely cute. I liked how the one below veered off to take a dip in the waves:

And I liked how the whole time I watched them, they looked so content travelling around together, hanging out in the sun. 

The Details:

Common Name: Ruddy Turnstones
Scientific Name: Arenaria interpres
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae

Seen: On the shoreline of a beach
Month: April

Learn More About Ruddy Turnstones

1. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Ruddy Turnstone: Identification. All About Birds.
2. Alsop, F. J. (2002). Birds of North America (American ed.). Dorling Kindersley Limited. 
3. Dewey, T. (n.d.). Ruddy Turnstone. University of Michigan, BioKIDS.
4. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Ruddy Turnstone: Overview. All About Birds.
5. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. (n.d.). Ruddy Turnstone, Arenaria interpres.