any of a genus (Arenaria, family Scolopacidae) of small, migratory shorebirds, esp., the (A. interpres): so called because they turn over pebbles to seek food
See turnstone in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(tûrnˈstōnˌ)
noun
Either of two wading birds, Arenaria interpres, a widely distributed species that is dark brown above with large areas of chestnut and black, or A. melanocephala, having black and white plumage, that breeds along the coast of Alaska and winters from there to Baja California.