ID CHALLENGE – 2 September 2020 P Plate by Karen Dick
This cute, smallish, stocky migrant wader is usually seen in small groups on rocky habitats around the Australian coastline.
Solution:
Well done everyone that got to Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) from this picture. The short orange legs and the short, wedge-shaped bill, combined with the stocky pigeon-like appearance are very distinctive.
The difficulty with this photo is that the bird is not in breeding (alternate) plumage. So is it a juvenile, or a non-breeding adult?
The large feathers on the upperparts rule out juvenile, as they would be much smaller and neater. Immatures retain their juvenile flight feathers, which doesn’t look to be the case here, so this group are non-breeding adults.
They breed in the arctic tundra and migrate to Australia for the northern winter.
Comments:
Elke Link: So do you see them here in their full breeding plumage?
Karen Dick: as with many of the migrant waders, you may see them in breeding plumage when they first arrive, or prior to them leaving again. More often you will see partial breeding plumage, but mostly in non-breeding state.
See pics of Ruddy Turnstones in all plumages here: https://ebird.org/species/rudtur/
Learn about these amazing little birds here: http://www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/ruddy-turnstone
Women Birders Australia 