turnstone
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turn·stone
(tûrn′stōn′)n.
Either of two shorebirds of the genus Arenaria, especially the ruddy turnstone.
[So called because the birds turn stones over to expose small invertebrates on which they feed.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
turnstone
(ˈtɜːnˌstəʊn)n
(Animals) either of two shore birds of the genus Arenaria, esp A. interpres (ruddy turnstone). They are related and similar to plovers and sandpipers
[C17: so called because it turns over stones in search of food]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
turn•stone
(ˈtɜrnˌstoʊn)n.
any of several shorebirds of the genus Arenaria, of the sandpiper family, having a slender, upturned bill used for turning over pebbles in search of food.
[1665–75]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  turnstone - migratory shorebirds of the plover family that turn over stones in searching for foodplover - any of numerous chiefly shorebirds of relatively compact build having straight bills and large pointed wings; closely related to the sandpipers Arenaria, genus Arenaria - turnstones Arenaria interpres, ruddy turnstone - common Arctic turnstone that winters in South America and Australia Arenaria-Melanocephala, black turnstone - common turnstone of the Pacific coast of North America |
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