About the Ruff
The ruff 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.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The ruff has a distinctive pot-bellied appearance, with a small head, medium-length bill, longish neck and heavy body. It has long legs that are variable in colour, being dark greenish in juveniles, pink to orange in adults with some males having reddish orange legs only during the breeding season. In flight, it has a deeper, slower wing stroke than other waders of a similar size, and displays a thin, indistinct white bar on the wing, and white ovals on the sides of the tail. The species shows sexual dimorphism.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Brazil, New Zealand, Guatemala, Belize, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Cayman Islands, Panama, Micronesia, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, British Virgin Islands, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Grenada.
When to see it
Peak activity in August · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaIt is a small sandpiper, 15–18 centimetres (6–7 inches) long and weighing around 18–51.5 grams (0.63–1.82 ounces).
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriAdults have dark legs and a short, thin, dark bill, thinner at the tip.
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosThis bird looks similar to the widely sympatric sharp-tailed sandpiper (C. acuminata), which is not however a member of the same clade in the genus.
Side by side: Ruff vs Sanderling · Ruff vs Semipalmated Sandpiper · Ruff vs Western Sandpiper · Pectoral Sandpiper vs Ruff
Learn the Ruff for real
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