Species

Ruff

Calidris pugnax

Ruffs are a type of wader, recognized by the classy and dramatic plummage of the males, who have big and colorful neck feathers.

They breed in wetlands in the mountains and along the coast, with their summer habitat stretching from Norway to the eastern-most part of Russia/Siberia. During winter, they migrate to Africa, south of the Sahara.

Unfortunately, ruffs are redlisted in Norway. Currently there's less than 2500 of them breeding in the country, a number that was at around 30.000 in the 1980s. That's a fall of over 80%. The last three generations (the last 15 years), they've seen a population decline of "only" ≈10%.

Their biggest threats are the drainage of wetlands and humans building down their habitat, along with consequences of climate change.

Also known as

  • Calidris pugnax (Scientific)
  • Ruff (English)
  • Brushane (Norwegian)

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3 observations

Conservation status

Norway: Vulnerable

Global: Least Concern

Classification

  • Class: Aves (Birds)
  • Order: Charadriiformes (Shorebirds)
  • Family: Scolopacidae (Sandpipers)
  • Genus: Calidris
  • Species: Calidris pugnax (Ruff)

Photos

Male ruff with orange/brown neck feathers and yellow face, looking to the side of the screen with a stern expression. His belly feathers are a combo of white, black, and brown, and the feathers on his head are dark brown standing upwards. He's standing in grass, with a lake in the background.
Male ruff with orange/brown neck feathers and yellow face, looking to the side of the screen with a stern expression. He's standing in grass, with a lake in the background, and yellow grass behind the lake.
Male ruff with orange/brown neck feathers and yellow face, looking to the side of the screen. His neck and head feathers are laying down, hiding his beautiful manes quite a bit.

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