Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) is a compact shorebird with orange legs, short wedge-shaped bill and bold black, white and chestnut breeding pattern. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It flips stones, shells and seaweed to expose insects and crustaceans along rocky shores, beaches and tidal flats. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. The Korean vertebrate catalogue used for this guide records the species in South Korea (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Korea occurrence records).