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.