I am a shorebird known as a Ruddy Turnstone. Like many shorebirds species our numbers are starting to show a serious decline.
ROM researchers are studying turnstones and other shorebirds so we can learn more about the problems they are facing and protect them.
I have been given the name Timmy, but I am a female. Can you guess why? I was captured in the United States
and the green flag was put on my leg with 3 unique characters so researchers could identify me.
This allows them to track me on migration and see where I have been and how long I live.
I was caught in Delaware Bay, United States in 2008 and have been wearing my lime-coloured flag, TMY, ever since.
They have not found where I breed or where I spend the winter but they are looking!
Here is a male turnstone. They can be identified in spring by their white head and rich cinnamon-coloured wings.
I am a very flexible eater and during migration you cas see me eating fish, and my specialty, Horseshoe Crab eggs.
Horseshoe Crabs spawning in Delaware Bay. The shorebirds feed on their eggs.
Sometimes I eat so much I get a little fat but don't worry, with 8 weeks of migration ahead I will be half my weight in no time.
Special thanks to the Shorebird Data and Resighting Management website.