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Turnstone Arenaria interpres   [Linnaeus, 1758]
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Order: Charadriiformes Family: Scolopacidae
BTO Codes: TT, TURNS EURING No: 5610
Number in Britain: 48 thousand birds (Winter)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: Not a species of concern
Global: Least Concern ( Details )
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)
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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: Atlas Maps    (Local Atlases)   
British Population Size:
    Winter: 48 thousand individuals in 2004-09
    First Record: 1676 [Fossil evidence from Ipswichian (last) interglacial, c. 125,000 yr ago]
    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
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results: Wetland Bird Survey Alerts

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 (Annual Totals)
Adult Survival: 0.860       
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 2 years Typical Lifespan: 9 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 22 years 3 months 20 days (set in 2005)
Summary of Ringing Recoveries       

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...
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See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead