Black Turnstone ❲FRESH →❳

: They are among the few shorebirds strong enough to hammer or pry open barnacles, limpets, and mussels from wave-washed rocks.

: In winter, they are a dark, smoky blackish-brown that blends seamlessly into the wet, seaweed-covered rocks of the Pacific Northwest. black turnstone

Unlike its world-traveling cousin, the Ruddy Turnstone, the Black Turnstone keeps a strictly local profile, sticking almost exclusively to the western edge of North America. : They are among the few shorebirds strong

: A stout, robin-sized bird with short legs and a slightly upturned, wedge-shaped bill. they are a dark

: They may look drab on the ground, but in flight, they reveal a bold, high-contrast black-and-white pattern on their wings and back. Life as a "Barnacle-Buster"