The ruff (Calidris pugnax) is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia.

Of the various Eurasian shorebirds that stray into North America, this one is the most regular and widespread in its occurrence. Ruffs are best known for their bizarre courtship plumage and rituals.

Ruffs gather in huge concentrations of up to one million birds on West African nonbreeding grounds, and a few stray individuals visit North America each year. The extravagant plumage of male Ruffs comes in an almost endless variety of colors and pattern combinations.

Rare but regular vagrant to North America, usually single birds found among flocks of yellowlegs.

The ruff (Calidris pugnax) is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia.

Ruffs are among the most intriguing bird species on Earth, due to the diversity not just between males and females, but also between the three distinctly different types of males that occur. Visual Identification. Ruffs are unique among birds, featuring three distinct male types.

The ruff is a large sandpiper; a typical wader, it feeds in shallow water around lakes and wetland areas near the coast. Just a handful of pairs breed in the UK, but some birds are present all year-round. During summer, young birds on their way to Africa from Scandinavia stopover in the UK.

Ruff, with their variable size and plumage, often present identification issues. However, by learning how to recognise Ruff in their various guises through this video, you’ll be able to pick them out with confidence, and have a great reference point for …

Ruff, (Philomachus pugnax), in zoology, Old World bird of the sandpiper subfamily Calidritinae (family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes) remarkable for its unusual courtship plumage and behaviour. The name ruff applies to the species or may be applied to the male only.

The Ruff is a medium-sized wading bird. It has a long neck, a small head, a short, slightly droopy bill and medium-long orange or reddish legs. In flight, it shows a faint wing-stripe and oval white patches either side of the tail.