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.
How to identify
Most ruff you will see are fairly plain-looking waders, with a longish neck and small head. Non-breeding birds are pale fawn-brown all over, with a paler belly. Breeding males, however, have a ruff of brightly coloured feathers around the neck, head tufts and a bare, orange face. Ruff have a short, slightly down-curved bill and orangey-yellow legs.
Did you know?
Female ruff are called 'reeves' and are much smaller than their mates. Male ruff use the large ruff of feathers around their necks in showy displays to attract females. Males with white ruffs are known as 'satellites' and are not usually dominant enough to mate with females, but will sneak couplings when they can.
