Psilos Bird Photography |
Ruff Philomachus pugnax |
A medium sized wader, with a long neck
and a small head. This is largely a migrant bird to the UK though a
few birds do stay all year and a small population breeds in the east
of England. During the winter large numbers of birds migrate from Scandanavia
and northern europe. Birds can be found on brackish coastal lagoons,
wet meadows and lakes. Their breeding habitat can be found on lowland
wet meadows. Its diet consists of insects, larvae, frogs, small fish
and seeds. The male is larger than the female with red legs and beak.
His breeding plumage consists of a large ruff of feathers, from where
it gets its name. The birds in the photos below show both sexes in winter
plumage only. Their plumage can be variable, showing various markings
of white and brown. |
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