Ruff Philomachus pugnax

The Ruff is a type of Sandpiper. The male bird has an amazing ability to fluff up his neck feathers like an enormous ruff (collar - see above) to impress a female.

Outside of the breeding season, male ruff have similar plumage to the plainer females (called reeves) but they are bigger. It is said that the pot-bellied bird with longish neck looks like a speckled gravy boat. Large flocks will gather to migrate from Northern Eurasia to Africa.

In the breeding season, their are four types of plumage: males with black or red-brown ruffs (above left: can be plain, striped or mottled) which will claim a territory; males with a white ruff (satellites) which will occupy territory held by another male; males with the patterned male plumage but no ruff nor orange face and with brown head/neck which will live among (and mate with) females; and the females which have plainish speckled plumage.

Bills are pink with dark tips in the breeding season.

More breeding males