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5 First records of Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres for Benin Guy R. Manners Premieres mentions du Tournepierre a collierArenaria interpres pour le Benin. Le 1 fevrier 2010, un Tournepierre a collierArenaria interpresa ete observe sur la lagune de Cotonou, Benin. Le 5 fevrier, deux ou trois oiseaux etaient presents au meme endroit. II s’agit des premieres donnees pour le pays de ce migrateur palearctique, qui est commun ou peu commun le long de la cote ouest-africaine et a deja ete enregistre dans les pays voisins, le Togo et le Nigeria. O n 1 February 2010, between 17.00 and Acknowledgements 19.00 hrs, I was observing the birds near Patrick Claffey and Ron Demey commented on earlier the mouth ol the Cotonou lagoon, Benin, from drafts ol this note and provided references. the terrace of the Hotel du Lac. My attention was drawn to a small, stocky wader amongst the References & nearest rocks a few hundred metres away. Despite BirdGuides Oxford University Press. 2003-06. Birds the rather bad light, coming from the west as of the Western Palearctic Interactive 1.1. DVD- ROM. I was viewing south-west with lOx binoculars, Sheffield: BirdGuides. & the bird’s dark brown upperparts combined with Borrow, N. Demey, R. 2001. BirdsofWesternAfrica. the white underparts, brown throat and upper London, UK: Christopher Helm. & wbraetacsht,inagnadRruadthdeyr TsuhorrntstboilnleiAnrdeincaartiead itnhtaetrprIewsaisn ChekAen, ARn.nAo.tatedWaClhsechk,-lJi.stF..B1O99U6.ChTehcek-Bliirsdts Noof.Tog1o4.: Tring: British Ornithologists’ Union. either non-breeding (winter) or juvenile plumage (BirdGuides & Oxford University Press 2003— Delany, S., Scott, D., Dodman, T. & Stroud, D. 0O6n),tahespeevceinesinwgitohf5whFiecbhruaIraym, tfwamoiloirarthirneethReuUdKd.y A(fedrsi.c)a a2n0d09W.estAenrnAEtulraassiao.fWWaagdeenringPeonpu:laWteitolnasndisn International. Turnstones, showing the same features as the bird Dowsett, R. 1993. Afrotropical avifaunas: annotated J. on 1 February, were present at the same location. country checklists. Benin. Tauraco Res. Rep. 5: All were either resting or possibly foraging on the 64-68. rocks; I did not see them in flight. Their size, shape Dowsett, R. Dowsett-Lemaire, F. & Claffey, P. M. J., and distinctive plumage was confirmed by direct submitted. The avifauna of Benin: additions and Common comparison with nearby Sandpipers corrections. Bull. ABC. Actitis hypoleucos. There are no serious contenders Elgood, H., Heigham, B., Moore, A. M., Nason, J. J. & as confusion species: Charadrius plovers are A. M., Sharland, R. E. Skinner, N. 1994. J. smaller and even shorter billed and most Calidris The Birds of Nigeria: An Annotated Check-list. BOU sandpipers are also smaller and have a different Check-list No. 4. Second edn. Tring: British jizz, while the larger species have longer bills. Ornithologists’ Union. & Although Ruddy Turnstone has not yet been van Gils, J. Wiersma, P. 1996. Family Scolopacidae reported from Benin (Dowsett 1993, Dowsett et (sandpipers, snipes and phalaropes). In del Hoyo, & al. submitted), its occurrence is no surprise. It has J., Elliott, A. Sargaral, J. (eds.) Handbook of been recorded in neighbouring Nigeria (Elgood et the Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Barcelona: Lynx al. 1994) and Togo (Cheke & Walsh 1996), and Edicions. & ptahsessapgeecimeisgrisanatcaonmdmwoinntetrovuisnictoormtmooWnesPtalAefarricctainc UrbaAnf,ricEa..KV.o,lF.ry2,. CL.onHd.on, KUeKi:th,AcSa.d(eedmsi.c) PTrheessB.irds of & coasts (Urban et al. 1986, van Gils Wiersma 25 HilifeId, Foxton, Cambridgeshire CB22 6RZ, UK. 1996, Borrow & Demey 2001, Delany et al. E-mail:[email protected] 2009). Received 15 March 2010; revision accepted 2 May 2010 . First records ofRuddy Turnstonefor Benin: Manners BullABC Vol 17No 2 (2010) -21