Since 2004 · Licensed by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT)

Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
Photo: Adam Jackson, CC0 1.0, via iNaturalist
Ruddy Turnstone

Family Scolopacidae

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

In Spanish: Vuelvepiedras Rojizo

  • Migrant

A busy shorebird that flips stones and shells along the coast.

The Ruddy Turnstone, Vuelvepiedras Rojizo in Spanish, is a migrant on the official list of Costa Rican birds. It breeds in the Arctic and comes down to coasts for the rest of the year.

On a trip we build around the coast, look for it in the intertidal zone, where it walks in a busy, nervous way and turns over shells and small stones.

How to find it

Look along the intertidal zone for a busy bird turning over shells and small stones. Check sandy or rocky shores, mudbanks, salt pans, estuaries and intertidal creeks. At high tide, when little shore is exposed, look on rocky outcrops along the shore. Scan mixed flocks for the orange legs and black and white pattern.

How to recognise it

In breeding plumage the back is chestnut, and the head and breast show a complex black and white pattern. The basic plumage is a duller gray version of that. Costa Rican birders scan shoreline flocks for the orange legs and the black and white pattern. Its feet are slightly spiny with short, sharply curved claws, which help it grip wet, slippery rocks. It is described as unmistakable in all plumages. At rest in a tideline flock it blends in among stones and sand, but when the flock takes off it flashes bright black and white wings.

What it sounds like

0:24

Recording: Yves Bas, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

It flips over stones, shells and seaweed with its bill to uncover small crustaceans and other food underneath. In the intertidal zone it walks in a busy, nervous way, turning over shells, small stones and debris, or digging in the sand. It is usually alone or in small groups. Birds sometimes defend small individual feeding patches. At high tide or at night they rest in groups.

Where it lives

Away from its Arctic breeding grounds it keeps to coasts, mostly rocky or stony shores, and often uses man-made structures such as breakwaters and jetties. In winter it also favours sandy coasts and mudflats. In Costa Rica, check sandy or rocky shores, mudbanks, salt pans, estuaries and intertidal creeks. It will even use marshy fields nearby. It is recorded on the Pacific coast and, in fewer and patchier numbers, on the Caribbean coast.

When to see it

It is a common passage migrant in autumn, from August to October, and in spring, from late March to late May. On the Pacific coast it is a common winter resident in some places, and a few non-breeding birds stay through the northern summer.

Similar birds

Peru Aves suggests checking it against Killdeer and Semipalmated Plover. It can share flocks with Surfbird, and in flight the two differ in their white and dark wing patterns.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Besides the Costa Rican list name Vuelvepiedras Rojizo, Spanish sources use Vuelvepiedras común, Playero vuelvepiedras and Playero Turco.

Status and conservation

The official list of Costa Rican birds marks it M, a migrant.

Photography tips

Birds sometimes defend small feeding patches, so watching one spot can pay off. At high tide, look for groups resting on rocky outcrops. A Peru guide says it is easy to approach for photos, though that is not specific to Costa Rica.

How we know this 17 sources, each read on the date shown
  1. Lista Oficial de las Aves de Costa Rica (AOCR) read 2026-11-04https://listaoficialavesdecostarica.wordpress.com/lista-oficial/lista-oficial-online/
  2. Peru Aves read 2026-11-04https://www.peruaves.org/scolopacidae/ruddy-turnstone-arenaria-interpres/
  3. Wikipedia read 2026-11-04https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_turnstone
  4. BirdNote en Español read 2026-11-04https://www.birdnote.org/podcasts/birdnote-en-espanol/el-inconfundible-vuelvepiedras-rojizo
  5. Lazy Naturalist (from Wikipedia text) read 2026-11-04https://www.lazynaturalist.com/ruddy-turnstone-arenaria-interpres/
  6. Animal Diversity Web read 2026-11-04https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Arenaria_interpres/
  7. Pajareros del Sur read 2026-11-04https://teccerrado.wixsite.com/pajareros-del-sur/playero-vuelvepiedras
  8. Paperblog read 2026-11-04https://es.paperblog.com/vuelvepiedras-ruddy-turnstone-arenaria-interpres-linnaeus-1758-5488326/
  9. Flickr (Costa Rican natural history text, Tárcoles photo) read 2026-11-04https://www.flickr.com/photos/jobando/31648684201
  10. Antipode Peru read 2026-11-04https://antipode-peru.com/es-guia-el-vuelvepiedras-rojizo
  11. iNaturalist Mexico read 2026-11-04https://mexico.inaturalist.org/taxa/3938-Arenaria-interpres
  12. Field Guides trip list read 2026-11-04https://fieldguides.com/triplists/cos19.html
  13. Eagle-Eye Tours read 2026-11-04https://www.eagle-eye.com/blog/costa-rica-caribbean-mountains-to-coast-2025-trip-report-oct-1-12/
  14. Wingspan Bird Tours read 2026-11-04http://www.wingspanbirdtours.com/blog/costa-rica-2018-day-8
  15. Spanish Wikipedia read 2026-11-04https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arenaria_(ave)
  16. Cornell All About Birds read 2026-11-04https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Turnstone/
  17. Viviendo el Campo read 2026-11-04https://viviendoelcampo.com/el-vuelvepiedras-arenaria-interpres/