1 / 5
Ruff (Calidris pugnax) — photo 1 of 5
© Wald1siedel CC BY-SA 4.0

Sandpipers · Shorebirds

Ruff

Calidris pugnax

How to recognize it

  • Medium-sized wader, slim with long legs, small head and long neck

  • In flight: slow deep wingbeats, thin pale wing bar, white ovals near the tail

  • Spring male much larger, with showy neck ruff and head tufts; female and winter plumage grey-brown above, white below

About the species

The Ruff is a slim, long-necked wader with a compact body and a small head. In spring the males become especially showy, but for the rest of the year both sexes look much more subdued.

It is a quiet, busy species. On the lek the males spend more time displaying to one another than calling, while outside the breeding season they move briskly and may feed even after dark.

Ruffs live in marshes and wet meadows, and on migration they gather in large flocks. In summer they eat mostly insects and larvae, then switch to seeds and other plant food in winter; in many places they are migratory, though some stay year-round.

You might also see

Sources