Select Page

Ruddy Turnstone

 

Arenaria interpres

IUCN status: Near threatened

Flyway population 30 000 (2022 estimate)

 

Identification

Stocky, short-legged wader with short up-turned bill.

Plumage

Non-breeding:  The upperparts are dark brown, with the edges of the feathers being a paler brown giving a mottled appearance.  The head, throat and neck are brown.  The breast shows a black bib, thinning in the mid-line.  The rest of the underparts are white.  The  bill is black, short and slightly upturned.  The legs and feet are bright orange.
Breeding: Male: A bold black and white patterned head.  The head is mainly white, though the crown is streaked with black, there is a black band around the eyes joining across the forehead.  Also there is a band from the ear coverts to under the chin where it meets a broad black band that extends from the chin and throat to the breast.  The back is mottled black and bright chestnut.  The rest of the underparts are white.  The legs are bright orange.
Female: Similar to the male but duller.  The head pattern is less bold and the crown more streaked.
Juvenile: Similar to the adult non-breeding plumage but duller.

No confusing species.

Distribution

Breeds in high arctic tundra of Europe, Asia and North America. Migrates widely from coastal Europe, Africa and most of the southern hemisphere. Prefers rocky coastlines and less commonly intertidal mudflats.

 

Monthly reports of Red-necked Stint in Queensland

Monthly sightings

Best sites in Queensland to see Ruddy Turnstone

Yearly trends in Queensland

Population trends:

Number of shorebird areas used in the trend analysis: 20

Generation time: 6.2 years (Bird et al. 2020)

Percent change in abundance over three generations: -26.11 (95%CI: -53.57, 21.81)

Percent change in abundance between 1993 and 2021: -52.76 (95%CI: -69.21, -26.52)

Percent annual change in abundance between 1993 and 2021: -2.64 (95%CI: -4.12, -1.09)

Percent annual change in abundance between 1993 and 2012: -4.36 (95%CI: -6.60, -2.07)

Percent annual change in abundance between 2012 and 2021: 2.46 (95%CI: -4.09, 9.50)

Change in annual growth rate between 1993-2012 and 2012-2021: 0.069 (95%CI: -0.0037, 0.14)

International and Nationally Important sites in Queensland

Significant Bird Area Year Peak Count International National
Capricornia Cays 2012 300 Yes Yes
Moreton Bay 2021 248 No Yes
Mackay 2013 170 No Yes
Blacks Beach 2017 85 No Yes
Great Sandy Strait 2018 85 No Yes

Conservation 

EPBC listing:  Vulnerable, Marine, Migratory 

Approved conservation advice:

https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/consultation-document-arenaria-interpres.pdf 

References

  1. BirdLife Australia (2023). Ruddy Turnstone. [Text before updates sourced from: Marchant, S. et al (eds) 1990-2006 Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds.Volume 1 to 7.] Birdlife Australia. Birdlife Australia. Source: https://hanzab.birdlife.org.au/species/ruddy-turnstone/ Accessed: April 30, 2026 Time Zone: +10:00
  2. Nettleship, D. N. (2020). Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rudtur.01
  3. eBird. 2021. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available:  http://www.ebird.org (Accessed: Date 12/4/2026)
  4. Rogers A, Fuller RA & Amano T (2023) Australia’s migratory shorebirds: Trends and prospects. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Queensland, Brisbane.
  5. Geering, Andrew, Lindsay Agnew, and Sandra Harding, eds. Shorebirds of Australia. Csiro Publishing, 2007.
  6. Driessen, J., Kidd, L. R., Weller, D. R., Purnell, C., Maguire, G., Jaensch, R., and LeClair, S. M. (2025). Australian National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat. Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
  7. van Swinderen, L., Hansen, B.D., Fuller, R.A., Watkins, D., Rogers, D.I., Clemens, R.S., Newman, M., Woehler, E.J., Weller, D.R. and LeClair, S. (2025). Revision of the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Population Estimates for 37 listed Migratory Shorebird Species. Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
  8. https://sproggies63.github.io/birding_apps/