Black Turnstone
Arenaria melanocephala
LCLeast Concern
- Family
- Sandpipers and Allies (Scolopacidae)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Overview
The black turnstone (Arenaria melanocephala) is a species of small wading bird. It is one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria, the ruddy turnstone (A. interpres) being the other. It is now classified in the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae, but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family, Charadriidae. It is native to the west coast of North America and breeds only in Alaska.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds coastal and inland waterbodies of western Alaska; winters rocky coastal southeastern Alaska to southern Baja California, Gulf of California, and Sonora (northwestern Mexico).
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Countries
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Black turnstone
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
