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turnstone

American  
[turn-stohn] / ˈtɜrnˌstoʊn /

noun

  1. any shorebird of the genus Arenaria, characterized by the habit of turning over stones in search of food.

  2. British. ruddy turnstone.


turnstone British  
/ ˈtɜːnˌstəʊn /

noun

  1. either of two shore birds of the genus Arenaria , esp A. interpres ( ruddy turnstone ). They are related and similar to plovers and sandpipers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of turnstone

First recorded in 1665–75; turn + stone

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Four UK shorebirds - the grey plover, dunlin, turnstone and curlew sandpiper - are becoming more endangered on the red list.

From BBC Oct. 28, 2024

And a bird I want to add as a caveat: the ruddy turnstone.

From Scientific American Jun. 5, 2020

The ruddy turnstone and bristle-thighed curlew fly more than 2,000 miles nonstop from Alaska to the Hawaiian islands on their way to the South Pacific.

From Time Magazine Archive

Even now I think with pity of one particular turnstone.

From The Foot-path Way by Torrey, Bradford

Their nesting habits are in no wise different from those of the common turnstone.

From The Bird Book Illustrating in natural colors more than seven hundred North American birds; also several hundred photographs of their nests and eggs. by Reed, Chester A. (Chester Albert)

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