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Redshank with white head (1 Viewer)

Hobbes2

Well-known member
Got out for an hour or so this morning before the clouds descended again.

A fellow birder pointed out to me a Redshank which had an unusual white head. Essentially, the bird had normal plumage from the shoulders down. The head and neck were predominantly white except for around the eyes towards the ear coverts. I wondered if anyone had come across this before and what the explanation might be? Is it just some kind of genetic defect?

Apologies for the quality of the pics. The bird was miiiiiiles away, lol

Thanks
Hobbes
 

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It's a Ruff (with Red legs!)

Thanks for the feedback Marcus, birdboy and Christian. I'm surprised by the ID. The birder who pointed it out to me seemed to be experienced and someone I would have expected to know the difference between a Ruff and an odd Redshank. Having looked at the distribution maps, it seems quite unlikely to be a Ruff (in Hertfordshire)?

Thanks
Hobbes

Edit: having said all that, the beak does look quite short for a Redshank, lol....?!
 
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It does amaze me how often this happens with Ruff. I've been shown several "partial albino Redshank" only to see they are these white headed Ruff!
This bird is a typical Ruff with the shape and jizz of that species, see the bill length etc To me Ruff always look a bit dumpy looking in the body, with small looking heads giving a distinctive look (large body to small head)... different to the more elegant, slimmer, attenuated shape of Redshank. This can be seen in the photos.
If it flew you would see it didn't show the white trailing edges to the wings of Redshank and the white V up the centre of the rump and back, Ruff having a dark rump with white sides. And of course Ruff have the variable leg colours!! On this bird they look quite orangey in the photo's?
I don't know how many Ruff you get in Herts but they are a fairly regular migrant here in Derbyshire.

ATB

Steph'
 
Ruff

Hi Hobbes2

The bird is a Ruff, below is a link to a video I recorded at Cley in Norfolk only two weeks ago,

Ruff at Cley

you can see this bird is in an almost Identical plumage

Gary

P.S the Ruff is on at 3mins 47 secs
 
Hi Hobbes2

The bird is a Ruff, below is a link to a video I recorded at Cley in Norfolk only two weeks ago,

Ruff at Cley

you can see this bird is in an almost Identical plumage

Gary

P.S the Ruff is on at 3mins 47 secs

Wow....it's been an unexectedly good day then :-O Thanks Steph and Gary for your follow-up posts. I had no idea Ruff could look like this so I've learnt something new.....plus...it's a lifer - never seen a Ruff before today.

Great stuff.
Thanks guys
Hobbes
 
Wow....it's been an unexectedly good day then :-O Thanks Steph and Gary for your follow-up posts. I had no idea Ruff could look like this so I've learnt something new.....plus...it's a lifer - never seen a Ruff before today.

Great stuff.
Thanks guys
Hobbes

congrat on a new lifer :t:
 
You'll find a large variability in the plumage and leg color for male Ruffs. But, as Gomphus wrote, the jizz and also the pattern of the back plumage will help you to ID them.
 
congrat on a new lifer :t:

Thanks Jacana. And thanks to Christian for the info on variability of plumage and leg colour with male Ruffs. It is fascinating how some birds have almost zero overt variability whilst others are much more diverse.
Thanks
Hobbes
 
At least two other people have reported this bird as Redshank with a white head, so it appears a lesson in recognising male Ruffs is needed for Herts birders...
 
I don't know how many Ruff you get in Herts but they are a fairly regular migrant here in Derbyshire.
It's pretty rare! Just a few records a year... Redshanks are pretty uncommon in winter too (there was a real one at Wilstone on Sunday).

Thanks for showing these pictures Hobbes – I have linked to it on various Herts sites.
 
It's pretty rare! Just a few records a year... Redshanks are pretty uncommon in winter too (there was a real one at Wilstone on Sunday).

Thanks for showing these pictures Hobbes – I have linked to it on various Herts sites.

No problem. :t: Glad to have got the record shots. I'd seen the Redshank (yup, it really was a Redshank, lol) up their on Saturday which is probably why I didn't question it when this 'white headed' variety was pointed out to me. :-O I'll be more careful in future.
Thanks
Hobbes
 
Yeah, I saw that bird last week, with perhaps 22 others (that is 22 other Ruff!).

Jon

Pretty sure I saw it at Cley last week too, it was a long way out but I remember seeing a wader with a white head... will have to check my photos, I think I got one of it although it'll be pretty teeny tiny! |:D|

That trip was the first time I'd seen Ruffs too. :t:
 
As someone who watches Wilstone virtually daily, myself and most of the regular birders there are disappointed if we don't see Ruff during a year. But then I think that Wilstone does account for most of the Herts records and I have averaged two to three different occurrences a year in the past five years.

I can also tell you that it wasn't there first thing yesterday morning nor this morning.
 
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