Hello everyone on this cold Tuesday morning here is this weeks creature the “Ruff” it is a bird.
The ruff 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.
It’s the ring of puffed up neck feathers that give this bird its name: a ruff was an ornamental collar worn by people living in Europe during the mid 16-17th centuries.
Only breeding males display the ruff, it also has a tuft of brightly coloured feathers on top of its head and orange legs, beak and rough facial skin. Once mating is finished the fancy feather moult and its beak, legs and face dull.
It is known for its aggressive displays at communal mating grounds called leks, its scientific name is Philomachus pungnus which means battle loving.
Jo-AnneRamplings 