General

Ruff: Large sandpiper with variably-colored neck ruff, back, and breast. Head is orange-brown and belly is white. Bill is orange with dark, drooped tip. Tail has faint wing stripe and oval white patches that are visible in flight. Female has brown head, dark scaled upperparts, dark bars on brown breast, and white belly and undertail coverts. Winter adult has scaled gray upperparts, white belly and yellow legs. Juvenile resembles winter adult but has olive-brown wash over head, neck, and breast.

Range and Habitat

Ruff: Breeds in Eurasia; occasionally nests in northwestern Alaska. Winters mainly in Africa; rare but regular migrant to Hawaii, Alaska, and the east coast of North America. Breeds on lowland grassy wet meadows; winters on wet meadows, muddy fringes of pools and lakes, and brackish coastal lagoons.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"tu-wit" replaced ' with "

Interesting Facts

 Ruffs are highly gregarious, with a wintering flock of 1 million birds reported in Senegal.

 It is usually considered the only member of its genus Philomachus, but more recent research indicates that the Broad-billed and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper may belong there too.

 The males display at a lek during the breeding season, standing erect, crouching or taking a variety of postures with the ruff erected.

 A group of ruffs are collectively known as a "collar" and a "hill" of ruffs."

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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