Silhouette: Elaine R. Wilson (modified) · PhyloPic

Ruddy Turnstone

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Ruddy Turnstone in Sydney?

Rare. Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy Turnstone sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 361 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 109th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Ruddy Turnstone in Sydney?

Any time of year. In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy Turnstone in Sydney on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Ruddy Turnstone?

Between 7 and 10 am. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ruddy Turnstone sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is Sydney the best place to see a Ruddy Turnstone?

31st of 68. Of the 68 cities where we can rate Ruddy Turnstone sightings, Sydney ranks 31st at under 5%. The best odds are in Casablanca (Morocco, about 40%), São Luís (Brazil, about 20%) and Maputo (Mozambique, about 20%).

Q: Where does the Ruddy Turnstone sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Ruddy Turnstone is recorded against all the birds logged in Sydney (361 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Arenaria interpres

Silhouette: Elaine R. Wilson (modified) · PhyloPic

LCNTNear ThreatenedVUENCR

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
FamilyScolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
GenusArenaria (Turnstones)
SpeciesArenaria interpres (Ruddy Turnstone)

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

at Sydney

In 3 days ~10%

361 Verified sightings at Sydney

23,323 In all 63 parks From 2019 to 2026

February Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Ruddy Turnstone

The ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) is a small cosmopolitan wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae. It is a highly migratory bird, breeding in northern parts of Eurasia and North America, and flying south to winter on coastlines almost worldwide. It is the only species of turnstone in much of its range and is often known simply as turnstone.

The ruddy turnstone was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Tringa interpres. The species is now placed together with the black turnstone in the genus Arenaria that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the ruddy turnstone as the type species. The genus name arenaria is from Latin arenarius, "inhabiting sand", from arena, "sand". The specific interpres means "messenger"; when visiting Gotland in 1741, Linnaeus thought that the Swedish word Tolk, meaning "interpreter" applied to this species, but in the local dialect the word means "legs"... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Alarm call0:12

France · 2026

Call0:15

Portugal · 2026

Nocturnal flight call0:45

United Kingdom · 2026

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 4 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Padre Island National Seashore	🇺🇸 United States	~80%
2	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~60%
3	Rottnest Island	🇦🇺 Australia	~50%
4	Galápagos Islands	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~40%
5	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	~40%
6	Isla del Coco National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~30%
7	West Coast National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~30%
8	Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
9	Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~30%
10	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	~30%
11	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~20%
12	Main Ridge Forest Reserve	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	~20%
13	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
14	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
15	Cape Range	🇦🇺 Australia	~10%
16	Ciénaga de Zapata	🇨🇺 Cuba	~10%
17	Bali Barat National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~10%
18	Ostional Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
19	Yala National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~10%
20	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
21	Ningaloo Marine Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~10%
22	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
23	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
24	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
25	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
26	Svalbard	🇳🇴 Norway	~10%
27	Gros Morne National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
28	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
29	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
30	Coiba National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
31	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
32	Doñana National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~10%
33	Snowdonia National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	~10%
34	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
35	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
36	Camargue	🇫🇷 France	<5%
37	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
38	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
39	Cape Breton Highlands National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
40	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
41	Vatnajokull National Park	🇮🇸 Iceland	<5%
42	Riding Mountain National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
43	Liwonde National Park	🇲🇼 Malawi	<5%
44	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
45	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
46	Pacific Rim National Park Reserve	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
47	Lake Nakuru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
48	Machalilla National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	<5%
49	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
50	Hortobágy National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	<5%
51	Caroni Swamp	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	<5%
52	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
53	Addo Elephant National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
54	Kiskunság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	<5%
55	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
56	Raja Ampat	🇮🇩 Indonesia	<5%
57	Great Bear Rainforest	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
58	Fertő-Hanság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	<5%
59	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
60	Great Otway National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
61	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
62	Sierra de Guadarrama National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
63	Olympic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Casablanca	🇲🇦 Morocco	~40%
2	São Luís	🇧🇷 Brazil	~20%
3	Maputo	🇲🇿 Mozambique	~20%
4	Liverpool	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	~20%
5	Havana	🇨🇺 Cuba	~20%
6	Dublin	🇮🇪 Ireland	~20%
7	Manama	🇧🇭 Bahrain	~20%
8	Rabat	🇲🇦 Morocco	~20%
9	Kuwait City	🇰🇼 Kuwait	~20%
10	Porto	🇵🇹 Portugal	~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	National Zoological Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
2	Cape May County Park & Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
3	Monterey Bay Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
4	Montreal Biodome	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity

Closest Relatives at Sydney

Limosa lapponica

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Tringa brevipes

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Calidris ruficollis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Numenius madagascariensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Gallinago hardwickii

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Calidris acuminata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Numenius phaeopus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Actitis hypoleucos

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Xenus cinereus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Calidris canutus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Calidris ferruginea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Ruddy Turnstone in Sydney?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy Turnstone sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 361 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 109th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Ruddy Turnstone in Sydney?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy Turnstone in Sydney on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Ruddy Turnstone?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ruddy Turnstone sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Sydney the best place to see a Ruddy Turnstone?

31st of 68

Of the 68 cities where we can rate Ruddy Turnstone sightings, Sydney ranks 31st at under 5%. The best odds are in Casablanca (Morocco, about 40%), São Luís (Brazil, about 20%) and Maputo (Mozambique, about 20%).

Where does the Ruddy Turnstone sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ruddy Turnstone is recorded against all the birds logged in Sydney (361 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Sydney

Ruddy Turnstone

About the Ruddy Turnstone

Sounds

Recent sightings of Ruddy Turnstone in Sydney

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at Sydney

Bar-tailed Godwit

Grey-tailed Tattler

Red-necked Stint

Far Eastern Curlew

Latham's Snipe

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Whimbrel

Common Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

Red Knot

Curlew Sandpiper

Silver Gull

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Ruddy Turnstone in Sydney?

When is the best time to see a Ruddy Turnstone in Sydney?

What time of day is best to see a Ruddy Turnstone?

Is Sydney the best place to see a Ruddy Turnstone?

Where does the Ruddy Turnstone sighting chance come from?