Ruddy turnstone Ruddy turnstone The ruddy turnstone ("Arenaria interpres") is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus "Arenaria". The scientific name is from Latin. The genus name "arenaria" derives from "arenarius", "inhabiting sand, from "arena", "sand". The specific "interpres" means "messenger"; when visiting Gotland in 1741, Linnaeus thought that the Swedish word "Tolk" "interpreter" applied to this species, but in the local dialect the word means "legs" and is used for the redshank. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae. It is a highly
Ruddy turnstone coasts. In Africa, it is common all the way down to South Africa with good numbers on many offshore islands. In Asia, it is widespread in the south with birds wintering as far north as southern China and Japan (mainly in the Ryukyu Islands). It occurs south to Tasmania and New Zealand and is present on many Pacific islands. Some non-breeding birds remain year round in many parts of the wintering range, with some of those birds still taking on breeding plumage in the spring and summer. The ruddy turnstone has a varied diet including carrion, eggs and plant material