[turn-stohn] 
| 1. | any shorebird of the genus Arenaria, characterized by the habit of turning over stones in search of food. |
| 2. | British. ruddy turnstone. |
| a common shorebird, Arenaria interpres, of the New and Old World arctic, wintering south to southern South America and Australia and having striking reddish-brown, black, and white plumage. |
| turn·stone (tûrn'stōn') n. Either of two wading birds, Arenaria interpres, a widely distributed species that is dark brown above with large areas of chestnut and black, or A. melanocephala, having black and white plumage, that breeds along the coast of Alaska and winters from there to Baja California. [From its method of finding food.] |
turnstone
either of two species of shorebirds (genus Arenaria) that constitute the subfamily Arenariinae (family Scolopacidae). The birds use their short, flattened bills, which are slightly recurved (upturned at the tip), to overturn pebbles and shells in search of food. Turnstones grow to a length of about 20 cm (8 inches)
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