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Location: Mission Bay (De Anza Cove), San Diego, CA
Date: 2005-04-10
Lens: Canon 500mm IS F4
Date: 2005-04-10
Lens: Canon 500mm IS F4
Black Turnstone
Arenaria melanocephala
DescriptionTurnstones do most of their foraging by probing cracks along wave-splashed rocks for small invertebrates. As its name implies, this bird sometimes overturns small rocks and debris to expose hidden invertebrates.
General: Sexes similar. 7-9 inches in length.
Adult Alternate: Black chest, head, and upperparts. White belly, lower back, eyebrow, and lore spot. White spots on side of neck and breast. Short, slightly upturned black bill. Dark red-brown or sometimes pinkish legs.
Adult Basic: Similar to alternate, but dark brown or gray upperparts, and lacks white neck and lore spots.
Junenile: Similar to adult basic.
Rocky and sandy beaches, mudflats.
Nesting4 yellow-olive eggs with darker brown and olive marks. They have a 21-22 day incubation period. Fledging occurs ? days after hatching. The nest is an unlined depression on an open, pebbly ridge or gravel bar in wet tundra.
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