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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:
Atlas Maps
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British Population Size:
Winter:
50 thousand individuals
in 1994-99
 
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
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
Wikipedia entry
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
Selected scientific papers published 1980-2005
Find more papers on Google Scholar
Find more papers on Scirus
BirdFacts home | BTO Home Email: birdfacts@bto.org These data should be cited as: Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.24, June 2009). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)
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