Ruff
Calidris pugnax (Linnaeus, 1758)
29–32 cmLength54–60 cmWingspan132 gWeight
Most males raise a large, elaborate feather ruff in the breeding season.
Busiest months: April and September · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Israel
Looks like Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper
How to identify
Field marks
- Most males have a crest and feather ruff in the breeding season
- Typical breeding male has a gray-brown back with scaly markings
- Thin, pale whitish wing-bar visible in flight
- One white oval patch on each side of the tail
Male, female and young
Male is usually much larger and has a crest and feather ruff when breeding; juvenile has a distinct yellowish-brown wash on the underparts.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: April and September · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Israel
Ruff has been recorded at 2,127 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 162 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom5,480 records
- International Birding and Research Center Eilat (IBRCE)Israel4,893 records
- Cley & Salthouse Marshes NWT NR – Cley Marshes including Hides and Visitor CentreUnited Kingdom3,732 records
More places
- Eilat – KM20 Flamingo Pools 20Israel3,374 records
- Frampton Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom3,273 records
- Private estate near Green MubazzarahUnited Arab Emirates2,646 records
- Minsmere RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom2,266 records
- Paul do Cabo da PraiaPortugal2,052 records
- WWT Slimbridge Wetland CentreUnited Kingdom1,601 records
- L'Albufera PNat – El Raco de l'OllaSpain1,448 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The ruff (Calidris pugnax) 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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Ruff?
The Ruff is about 29–32 cm long, with a wingspan of 54–60 cm and weighs around 132 g.
Where does the Ruff live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: low Arctic to temperate tundra and steppe of Palearctic: northwestern Europe from Belgium and Scandinavia south through northern Ukraine, northwestern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia to far eastern Siberia. It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, Spain and Israel.
When is the best time to see the Ruff?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April and September (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Ruff endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Ruff as Least Concern.
What does the Ruff eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Ruff in?
It belongs to the family Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 29–32 cm
- Wingspan
- 54–60 cm
- Weight
- 132 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 164 mm
- Tail
- 60 mm
- Bill
- 38 mm
- Tarsus
- 43 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: low Arctic to temperate tundra and steppe of Palearctic: northwestern Europe from Belgium and Scandinavia south through northern Ukraine, northwestern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia to far eastern Siberia
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Sandpipers, Snipes Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Calidris
Other birds in the genus Calidris
Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris
Red KnotCalidris canutus
SurfbirdCalidris virgata
Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellus
Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminata
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopus
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferruginea
Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
Long-toed StintCalidris subminuta
Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollis
Spoon-billed SandpiperCalidris pygmaea
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Thorbjørn Brunander Sund. ↗
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