The Ruddy Turnstone is a small wading bird that is found across the northern parts of the world. These colorful shorebirds breed in the Arctic and subarctic regions and migrate long distances to spend the winter on coastlines almost worldwide. Understanding where Ruddy Turnstones live throughout the year provides insight into their amazing migrations and ability to thrive in diverse environments.
Breeding Range
Ruddy Turnstones breed in the far northern regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. Their breeding habitat centers on the Arctic tundra. This biome provides ideal conditions for nesting and raising chicks to fledging.
In North America, Ruddy Turnstones nest along the northern coasts of Alaska and Canada. Their breeding range extends across the Canadian Arctic archipelago, northern Yukon and Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the very northeastern tip of Quebec. Smaller numbers nest on the northwestern and northcentral coasts of Greenland.
In Eurasia, major nesting areas for Ruddy Turnstones include:
- Northern Russia, from the White Sea east to the Chukotka Peninsula
- Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, and Novaya Zemlya islands north of Scandinavia and Russia
- Northern coasts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland
- Northern Iceland
- Northern United Kingdom, mainly Scotland
The tundra habitat offers ideal conditions for nesting Ruddy Turnstones. The short, low-growing tundra vegetation provides open views to watch for predators. Insects and other invertebrates are abundant food sources. And the melted tundra offers muddy wetlands and shallow pools suitable for foraging and collecting nesting material.
Wintering Range
After breeding, Ruddy Turnstones embark on long migrations to reach their wintering grounds. They fan out across an enormous range spanning over 150 degrees of longitude across much of the world’s coastlines.
On the Pacific coasts of North America, Ruddy Turnstones winter from southern Alaska southwards along the western seaboard of Canada and the United States. They reach as far south as Baja California in Mexico. Significant wintering sites include:
- Boundary Bay, British Columbia
- Willapa Bay, Washington
- Humboldt Bay, California
- San Francisco Bay, California
- Morro Bay, California
On the Atlantic coast, the main wintering areas span from Massachusetts south to Florida, the Caribbean islands, and scattered sites along the northern coasts of South America. Prime wintering habitats include sandy beaches, tidal flats, salt marshes, rocky coasts, and jetties.
Across the Atlantic in Europe, Ruddy Turnstones winter along the coasts from northwestern France south to the Mediterranean Sea and northern Africa. Important sites include:
- Wadden Sea coasts of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark
- The Wash in eastern England
- Western and southern coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland
- Atlantic coast of France and Iberia
- Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts
In Africa, Ruddy Turnstones spend the winter along both the east and west coasts. They occur down the western Atlantic coast from Morocco to South Africa. And they are found along the eastern Indian Ocean coastline from Egypt to South Africa.
Moving east across Asia, major wintering sites include:
- Middle East coast from Israel to the Arabian Peninsula
- Persian Gulf
- Indian subcontinent from Pakistan to southeast India
- Sri Lanka
- Southeast Asia from Myanmar to Borneo and the Philippines
- Southern coast of China
- Taiwan
- Southern Japan
In Australasia, Ruddy Turnstones spend the winter in coastal Australia and New Zealand, as well as on Pacific islands including New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.
Stopover Sites
Ruddy Turnstones rely on key stopover sites to rest and refuel during their long migrations between the Arctic breeding grounds and wintering areas. These sites provide crucial habitat to support the high energy needs required for migration.
On northbound spring migration, major stopovers include:
- Yellow Sea region of China and Korea
- Kamchatka Peninsula of eastern Russia
- Coasts and islands of Alaska
And on southbound fall migration, key stopover regions include:
- Northeast Canada
- Great Lakes region of Canada and United States
- Atlantic coast of the United States
- Coasts of Western Europe
Ruddy Turnstones make the most of their stopover habitats by rapidly foraging on preferred foods to rebuild energy stores. They commonly feed on eggs of horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay, an important spring migration stopover, to gain the fat and nutrients needed to continue their northward journeys.
Habitat Preferences
Across their enormous breeding, wintering, and stopover range, Ruddy Turnstones demonstrate adaptable habitat preferences. But they favor certain shoreline habitats offering their preferred foods.
On coastal migration and wintering areas, Ruddy Turnstones largely occur on sandy beaches and tidal flats. They also frequent rocky shorelines, jetties, breakwaters, and salt marshes. Less commonly they may visit inland wetlands, fields, and lakeshores.
Ruddy Turnstones forage along the high tide line and intertidal zone of beaches and flats. They pick through seaweed and debris looking for invertebrates and other prey. And they probe into sand, mud, and soil in search of buried mollusks, marine worms, insect larvae, eggs, and more.
Nesting habitat is centered on low, open tundra dotted with wetlands and ponds. The birds nest on slightly elevated hummocks and ridges with good visibility of the surroundings. This allows them to spot any approaching predators.
Region | Major Habitats |
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Coastal Migration and Winter Areas |
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Inland Migration and Winter Areas |
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Breeding Areas |
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Coastal Habitats
Coastal habitats make up the majority of Ruddy Turnstone’s habitat across their annual cycle. Their specialized feeding behaviors and prey preferences are adaptations for taking advantage of shoreline habitats.
On coasts, Ruddy Turnstones forage in a distinct method called “stitching.” They walk along the edge of the water rapidly stitching their bill into the sand or mud to catch buried invertebrates. They may stitch randomly or in a more focused zig-zag pattern.
Inland Habitats
Though mainly a coastal species, Ruddy Turnstones sometimes occur on inland lakes, ponds, wetlands and agricultural fields. Here they employ their stitching technique to probe into muddy shorelines and soft soil to catch insect larva and other prey.
Inland habitats are used more commonly on migration stopovers when birds are opportunistically taking advantage of any habitat offering food to refuel. These areas provide a respite from the busier coastlines where large numbers of migrating shorebirds congregate.
Breeding Habitat
The open, low-growing tundra vegetation provides ideal nesting habitat for Ruddy Turnstones. They build simple nest scrapes on slightly raised ground near wetlands and waterbodies that offer prime foraging. Their nests blend in well with the surroundings to avoid detection.
Wet sedge meadows dotted with ponds allow the birds to collect mud and plant material for nest building. And the abundant insect life emerging from the tundra ponds provides ample food for the adults and growing chicks through the short Arctic summer.
Geography of Migration
Ruddy Turnstones complete some of the longest distance migrations in the animal kingdom. The migratory connections between breeding areas and wintering sites span enormous distances across the hemisphere and even around the globe.
Birds breeding in Alaska winter along coasts down to South America, traveling over 9,000 miles between endpoints. Eurasian breeders link breeding areas in Siberia to wintering regions in Australia and New Zealand on journeys up to 11,000 miles.
Some examples of the marathon migrations Ruddy Turnstones complete include:
Breeding Area | Winter Area | Distance |
---|---|---|
Chukotka Peninsula, Russia | Southeast Australia and New Zealand | 7,000 – 9,000 miles |
Svalbard, Norway | West Africa | 4,500 miles |
Nunavut, Canada | Southern Brazil | 6,500 miles |
Alaska, United States | Chile | 7,000 – 9,000 miles |
Ruddy Turnstones fly these enormous distances non-stop over oceans guided only by their internal compass. They time their migrations to make use of global wind patterns that provide tailwinds to aid their journey.
These marathon migrations connect opposite poles of the planet throughout an annual cycle adapted to make the most of seasonal conditions across a diverse range of coastal habitats.
Threats and Conservation
Ruddy Turnstones face a variety of threats across their global range. Habitat loss limits areas available for foraging and resting during migrations. Disturbance can disrupt feeding and nesting. And climate change may alter breeding and wintering ranges.
Coastal wetland habitats used as migratory stopover sites are being degraded and lost due to:
- Shoreline development
- Construction of roads, jetties, and seawalls
- Oil spills and chemical pollution
- Expanding aquaculture
Nesting habitat in the Arctic tundra is threatened by climate change. Rising temperatures allow taller shrubs to invade the open tundra preferred for nesting. Tundra wetlands are also drying out.
Ruddy Turnstones face hunting pressure in some regions. They are considered a game species in Canada and Greenland and may be hunted legally in seasons that potentially overlap fall migration.
Due to threats across their range, Ruddy Turnstone populations are declining in many areas. Conservation efforts are needed to monitor and protect key migratory habitats and preserve sufficient breeding habitat.
Actions to aid Ruddy Turnstone conservation include:
- Preserve wetlands and coastal habitats through legislation and land protection
- Restrict shoreline development and modify structures like seawalls to provide habitat
- Monitor hunting and enforce laws and quotas
- Band birds to track migratory routes, identify key sites, and determine population trends
- Educate the public on reducing disturbance
- Support research on factors impacting breeding success
Through ongoing conservation initiatives across their range, the remarkable migrations and worldwide travels of Ruddy Turnstones can continue being passed on to future generations.
Conclusion
Ruddy Turnstones complete fantastic migrations spanning up to 10,000 miles between Arctic and subarctic breeding areas to winter coastlines across North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Though they lead a worldwide lifestyle, threats from habitat loss, climate change, and disturbance require ongoing conservation attention to preserve their unique long-distance migrations.