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Turnstone Arenaria interpres [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Charadriiformes
Family:
Scolopacidae
BTO Codes:
TT, TURNS
EURING No:
5610
Number in Britain:
50 thousand birds (Winter)
Conservation Status:
UK:
AMBER
European:
Not a species of concern
Global:
Least Concern
Links to: Images
Videos
Sound
Status in UK:
(A) Scarce Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies:
interpres recorded in Britain (of 2 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
23 cm
Wingspan:
54 cm
Weight:
M/F: 120 g
Scientific name from:
L.: arenarius =of sand (from arena =sand)
and L.: interpres =a messenger
World Distribution:
BREEDS: n Eurasia & n North America, WINTERS: Europe, Africa, s Asia, Australasia & Americas
Habitat:
Tundra, on migration beaches & rocky coasts
Diet:
Summer, mostly insects, wider range of invertebrates and other material at other times
TitBit:
The Turnstone (aptly named, it will flip stones of almost its own body weight) has been recorded feeding on a very wide range of prey, including bird's eggs, chips and even corpses
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Winter:
50 thousand individuals
in 1994-99
First Record:
1676
Conservation Status:
AMBER
because
Important Non-breeding Population
Previous Assessments:
2002-2007
AMBER
1996-2001
AMBER
Races of Concern:
interpres AMBER (Important Population)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
31 to 64 thousand pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
41 x 29 mm
Egg Weight:
17.9 g (of which 5 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
0
Clutch Size:
4 eggs
Incubation:
22- 24 days
by the:
Female (occ. Male)
Fledging:
19 - 21days
as:
Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
Does not breed in Britain, or too few Nest Records
Number of Broods:
1
Number Ringed:
473
Adult Survival:
0.860
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
2
years
Typical Lifespan:
9
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
20yr 0m
Biometrics
Ring Size:
C2
Wing Length
Adult:
156.9 ± 4.6
Range
149 - 164 mm, N =4162
Juvenile:
154.2 ± 4.6
148 - 161 mm, N =473
Male:
156.5 ± 3.9
150 - 163 mm, N =55
Female:
158.6 ± 3.9
153 - 164 mm, N =65
Weight
Adult:
107.7 ± 10.51
Range
94.00 - 125.0 g , N =4115
Juvenile:
105.6 ± 8.81
93.00 - 120.0 g , N =456
Male:
128.5 ± 17.36
101.0 - 156.7 g , N =55
Female:
131.5 ± 25.08 .
104.0 - 176.0 g , N =64
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Ruddy Turnstone
Gaelic:
Trìlleachan-beag
Welsh:
Cwtiad y Traeth
Danish:
Stenvender
Dutch:
Steenloper
Finnish:
Karikukko
French:
Tournepierre à collier
German:
Steinwälzer
Hungarian:
Köforgató
Icelandic:
Tildra
Irish:
Piardálai Trá
Italian:
Voltapietre
Norwegian:
Steinvender
Polish:
Kamusznik zwyczajny
Portuguese:
Rola-do-mar
Spanish:
Vuelvepiedras
Swedish:
Roskarl
Local Names: Tanglepicker / Flipbrick
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
No books written recently
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
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