Western Bird Guide: Birds of the Rockies and West to the Pacific

by Charles K. Reed

BLACK TURNSTONE.

284. Arenaria melanocephala. 9 inches.

Upper parts a greenish black color; head, neck, breast and throat black; a white spot in front of eye and on forehead; under parts white.

Nest.—In the far north on the shores of Alaska and more northern islands, laying their sets of four eggs in hollows with a few grasses for lining; the eggs are light gray, marked with various shades of brown and lilac (1.60 × 1.10).

Range.—Pacific coast of North America, wintering to Lower California.