About the Black Turnstone
The black turnstone is a species of small wading bird. It is one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria, the ruddy turnstone being the other. It is now classified in the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae, but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family, Charadriidae. It is native to the west coast of North America and breeds only in Alaska.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
It is 22–25 centimeters (8.7–9.8 in) long and weighs 100–170 grams (3.5–6.0 oz). The black bill is 20–27 millimeters (0.8–1.1 in) long and slightly upturned. The legs and feet are blackish-brown with a reddish tinge. The bird is largely black and white in appearance. Breeding-plumaged adults have a black head and breast apart from a white spot between the eye and bill, a white stripe over the eye and white flecks on the sides of the breast. The upper parts are blackish-brown with pale fringes to the wing-coverts and scapular feathers. The belly and vent are white.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Black Turnstone lives
When to see the Black Turnstone
Peak activity in September · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Side by side: Black Turnstone vs Ruddy Turnstone
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