Ruddy Turnstone

The ruddy turnstone is a compact, sturdy wader with orange legs, a short, pointed bill and mottled brown, black and white plumage. Its name says it all: it flips over stones, seaweed and shells with its bill to see what lies beneath, finding crustaceans, worms and small molluscs. It is a tough eater: it also steals the eggs of other birds and can even eat carrion. On the rocks along the coast, its mottled plumage makes it almost disappear among the seaweed. In the Vendée it is seen mostly outside the breeding season, on rocks, shingle beaches and mudflats.