Ruddy Turnstones flip stones and seaweed along shorelines to find insects and small crustaceans underneath.
Breeding adults show bold black-and-white markings and a chestnut back; males tend to be more strongly marked than females. In winter they look browner, and their legs remain orange year-round.
It uses a stout, slightly upturned bill to turn over stones, shells, and seaweed. It mainly eats flies and midges during breeding, and also eats crustaceans and mollusks at other times.
Both sexes explore nest sites, but the female makes the final choice. She forms a sheltered ground scrape and lines it with lichens, willow and other vegetation. The two to five eggs are olive-green or buff with brown speckles.
The female does most incubation, with the male taking occasional turns. Incubation lasts 21–24 days. Downy chicks can leave the nest within hours, and families move to insect-rich areas.
Juveniles resemble nonbreeding adults but have rusty edges to the upperpart feathers. In flight they show white back and wing stripes, a white rump and a black tail band.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.