Ruff
Habitat and behaviour
Habitat: Wet meadows, lagoons.
Diet: Invertebrates, seeds.
Best time to spot: Males grow ruffs at lek in spring.
When to look
Resident in the UK, so it can be found year-round. Numbers peak in May. See the May birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in Bird migration in Britain.
Recent UK sightings
No community sightings logged for this species yet. Log the first one.
Similar birds
- Pectoral Sandpiper · Wet meadows (autumn passage)
- Red KnotUncommon · Estuaries (winter spectacles)
- SanderlingUncommon · Sandy beaches
- Broad-billed Sandpiper · Pools (very rare passage)
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper · Short grass (autumn passage)
- Curlew SandpiperRare · Estuaries (autumn passage)
Kit that helps
Best spotting scopes for UK birding. Affiliate links, tested picks, no extra cost to you.
See Ruff sightings on the map