Ruff

Ruffs are unique among birds, featuring three distinct male types. Territorial males, comprising up to 84% of the population, are long-necked, round-bellied waders with a flamboyant neck ruff in colours like buff, chestnut, black, or purple. Their upper back varies in colour, while underparts are dark, often speckled. They sport brownish-yellow facial warts, a brownish-orange bill, and legs ranging from greenish-yellow to dark orange.

"Satellite" males, about 16% of the population, have white neck ruffs and head tufts. They lack territories but are tolerated in leks, attracting females and increasing mating chances for territorial males. The rare faeder males, only 1% of the population, resemble females in size and plumage, avoiding confrontations with territorial males.

Ruffs exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism. Females, called reeves, are smaller than breeding males and lack ornamental features. They have greyish-brown upperparts and white underparts streaked with darker brown. Juveniles display dark brown upperparts edged with buff, reddish-brown underparts, and a lighter face with a pale, streaked throat. Their bill is black, with legs and feet in pink, grey, or greenish hues.

Ruffs breed in subarctic and temperate regions across northern Eurasia, from Scandinavia to eastern Siberia. During migration, they can be found in wetlands, flooded fields, and coastal mudflats across Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia.

In the UK, Ruffs are primarily seen as passage migrants and winter visitors, with small numbers breeding in eastern England. Norfolk’s Titchwell Reserve is one site where breeding ruffs have regularly been spotted around the lagoon and low-lying wetland landscape.

They are rare vagrants in North America, occasionally spotted along both coasts.