The buff-breasted sandpiper also resembles a small juvenile ruff, but even the female ruff is noticeably larger than the sandpiper, with a longer bill, more rotund body and scaly-patterned upperparts.

The juvenile sharp-tailed sandpiper is a little smaller than a juvenile female ruff and has a similar rich orange-buff breast, but the ruff is slimmer with a longer neck and legs, a rounder head, and a much plainer face.

Juveniles are bright buffy with neat scaly patterning on the upperparts. Flight often rather lazy, with deep floppy wingbeats; note white underwings, white sides to rump, and feet projecting well past tail. Males are much larger than females.

Ruffs are best known for their bizarre courtship plumage and rituals. In spring, male Ruffs are wildly variable in color and pattern of their neck ruffs and head tufts; they gather on display grounds, or 'leks,' and display to attract females. Rudimentary displays are occasionally seen from spring migrant Ruffs in North America.

Jan 1, 2010 · Juvenile Ruff. Short-billed and small-headed, with a long neck, bulky body and long legs, Ruff is a wader that picks at the ground with a deliberate action as it strides purposefully along a muddy shoreline. It is oddly silent, even when indulging in its strange displays.

May 5, 2011 · Juvenile. Buff-breasted Sandpiper is smaller and more delicate than Ruff, with a shorter, finer bill and longer wingtips. Buff-breasted Sandpiper always has yellow legs, while Ruff leg color varies from bright orange to yellow-green in all plumages.

Mar 26, 2012 · Juvenile. Forages by picking prey from the surface or probing in shallow water or mud. Juvenile has a buffy face, neck, and breast; a white belly; and crisp, scaly upperparts.

The Ruff, Calidris pugnax, is a medium-sized wading bird known for its remarkable breeding plumage and sexual dimorphism. Males, significantly larger than females, boast ornate ruffs and head tufts in a variety of colors during the breeding season.

Aug 18, 2006 · Ruff: August, Lincs Juveniles can be deceptive and come in a variety of sizes, and tones, to add to the confusion. The underparts are buff-coloured, though the breast-sides are plain, unlike the neatly spotted breast-sides of Buff-breasted Sandpiper.

In autumn, the Ouse Washes and the nearby Norfolk coast hold the largest concentrations of Ruff, including smart gingery juvenile birds, which can be seen feeding in marshes and wet fields, sometimes accompanying plovers on bare arable land.