Ruddy Turnstone, Vuelvepiedras común

Description:

Juvenile. Small wader 22–24 centimetres long with a wingspan of 50–57 centimetres and a weight of 85–150 g. It has a dark, wedge-shaped bill . The legs are fairly short and are bright orange. At all seasons, the plumage is dominated by a harlequin-like pattern of black and white. Breeding birds have reddish-brown upper parts with black markings. The head is mainly white with black streaks on the crown and a black pattern on the face. The breast is mainly black apart from a white patch on the sides. The rest of the underparts are white. In flight it reveals a white wingbar, white patch near the base of the wing and white lower back, rump and tail with dark bands on the uppertail-coverts and near the tip of the tail. The female is slightly duller than the male and has a browner head with more streaking. Juvenile birds have a pale brown head and pale fringes to the upperpart feathers creating a scaly impression. The Turnstone is at home on rocks, although sandy beaches with a tangle of seaweed, shells, and small stones at the high-tide mark are ideal for it. It makes a good living searching through such debris, which is very rich in small invertebrates and regularly refreshed by high tides.Turnstones are typically noisy, active, and often quite tame.

Habitat:

Spotted at a sandy beach close to a small river ending.

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/800 sec.; f/14; ISO Speed Rating: 800. Exposure Bias: 0 EV. Focal Length: 300.0 mm.