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Main diet
During the Arctic breeding season, turnstones feed largely on adult and larval flies and midges, plus other insects such as spiders, beetles, bees and wasps. Outside the breeding season their diet broadens to include small crustaceans, molluscs, shore crabs, periwinkles and other marine invertebrates taken along rocky and sandy coasts.
Foraging techniques
Turnstones get their name from their habit of bending their legs, wedging the bill under stones, shells or seaweed, and snapping the head to flip them over, then seizing exposed prey. They also flick and plough through seaweed, pick items from rocks, sand and shallow water, chisel open shellfish, and occasionally dig in shingle, with some individuals specialising in particular methods.
Scavenging and opportunism
These birds are notable scavengers, readily picking at dead fish and mammals washed ashore and taking advantage of human food such as bread, rice and chips in harbours and seaside towns. They may raid unattended nests for eggs, and have even been recorded feeding on large carcasses, including, in rare documented cases, human corpses.
Habitat and context of feeding
On migration and in winter, turnstones concentrate along rocky coasts, harbour walls, piers and wrack-strewn strandlines where stones, shells and seaweed provide many hiding places for invertebrates. In these areas they often feed in small flocks, with dominant birds defending rich patches of seaweed or prey and subordinates pushed to less profitable spots.
