The ruddy turnstone is a stocky wader that winters on rocky shores and harbours around Britain, using its bill to flip stones and seaweed to uncover invertebrates, with its welfare determined by the quality of intertidal rocky shore ecosystems.
Turnstone welfare in UK harbour and rocky shore wintering habitats depends on the availability of invertebrate-rich intertidal zones. Oil spills on rocky shores eliminate the intertidal invertebrate communities on which turnstones depend. Disturbance from recreational users and photographers in harbours causes repeated flushing of birds that need to feed during limited daylight hours. Marine pollution reducing seaweed and invertebrate communities degrades the quality of wintering habitat.