General Description

Head and neck white with grey patches, other upperparts red-brown with brown and black patches. Breast black with other underparts white. Legs orange, bill stout and black. When breeding: head and neck white with black patches, upperparts with red-brown and black patches. Body up to 25 cm long.

Biology

Ruddy Turnstones flip over seaweed and small rocks to search for small invertebrate prey. They migrate to Victoria in summer.

Habitat

Saltwater lakes, coastal bays, inlets and intertidal shorelines.

Coastal shores

Distribution guide

Worldwide.

Species Group

Birds › Sandpipers and curlews

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)

Water Column

Above surface

Max Size

25 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Conservation Status

• DSE Advisory List : Not listed
• EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
• IUCN Red List : Least Concern