Ruff

The Ruff is a medium sized waterfowl bird with a brown colouration on the upper part up to the chest in which each feather has a characteristic light beige outline and white underparts. Some males may already have some feathers of the breeding plumage and may appear white or black on the head and/or neck area. When flying, two very distinctive white oval patches can be seen on the open tail.

When they reach the breeding areas, the males acquire a "helmet" of feathers in brown, black or white shades; something we in Greece do not see.

The legs are usually orange in various tones greyish or orange, and the beak is greyish to black with a medium length (although later in spring it becomes pale pink or orange). It is a silent species; we will not hear it call at all.

It is a migratory species that comes to Eurasia (NE Europe and the northern coast of Asia, Siberia!) to breed each spring and overwinters throughout Central and Southern Africa and its northern shores and also on the coasts of the Arabian, Indian and Indochinese peninsulas and the western islands of Indonesia.

It will be seen in spring (March-May) in every wetland on our island: from the two salt pans to the smallest seasonal wetland - mostly fresh water - and shallow depths that allow it to walk in the water to feed.

• Its name comes from the battles that males fight among themselves when, having reached the breeding areas, they gather in groups (lek) to show off to the females watching them so that the latter can choose a mate. In fact, the previous Latin name of the genus was Philomachus!
• It feeds on terrestrial and aquatic insects, especially beetles and diptera but also pubescent moths, hemiptera, grasshoppers, grasshoppers, spiders, molluscs, tadpoles and small frogs and small fish. Also plant material (seeds and leaves of aquatic plants), especially in winter.
• Migrates in medium-sized groups of 100-1,000 individuals.
• Males begin their migration journey to Europe a month earlier than females, in early March
• The majority of them passes through our region occurs in late March to late April.
• The return journey begins in late June to early July for males, late July for females and August for juveniles (born just a short time ago!).
• Their spring passage is clearly more numerous than their autumn passage during which only a few dozen individuals are observed.