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Ruff, or Pigeon (1 Viewer)

alan_rymer

alan_rymer

Well-known member
United Kingdom
We have had a Ruff on my local patch mixed in withe the 200-300 Lapwings and Starling. The flock was spooked and a group of us were trying to see it in flight and where it would land ( Its usually hard to relocate because of the distance ). I eventually found the flying bird and pointed my camera and took a few shots. All except one were all lapwings. I posted my Ruff on the county bird site but received a mail from someone today saying they thought it was a pigeon. I have removed the photo, but still cant quite persuade myself it is a pigeon, although the bill does not look right for a Ruff.
Opinions please. I have also attach the original image from which this was cropped.
 

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Sorry, but I disagree ..... I cannot see it's a Lapwing. Agree it's not a Ruff either.

I'd point to the sharper wing point, the lack of dark band across the primaries with white tips, and the dark front belly with no trace of a sharp dark throat band. I know photographs can distort shadow/colouration but even allowing for this..... and there's that odd dark carpal (ish) patch

Overall jizz is more like a pigeon, but it'd have to be a feral pigeon for the colouration I think. Not sure what else it might be mind.

Mick
 
Another for Lapwing. The lighting is strange but, the band on the tail can just be made out, as can the wingtips pattern. And the forehead is too steep for Pigeon.
 
Another for Lapwing.

Compare the jizz of the bird in question with the third bird from the left in the wide shot. They are practically twins.

Mike
 
It's quite clearly a (feral) pigeon. I can't see how anyone could possibly think otherwise. Maybe too much to drink at New Year? Or they thing April Fool's Day has come early.

Mike Earp
 
And there's a Nightjar in the top right hand corner ... ;)


Can you post the other photos in the sequence (ie before and after) this one?
 
Lapwing. Can see why some are saying Feral Pigeon at first glance, but I think some of that is down to the lighting. I've changed the photo to black and white to see if that helps show that it is actually just a Lapwing.
 

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The wing shape and underwing coloration are so wrong for Lapwing that I cannot understand how anyone could possibly think the bird is that species. It is, equally, spot on for (feral) pigeon.

Mike Earp
 
The feathers on the outer wing are reflecting the low winter sun which is giving the illusion that it isn't black as expected for Lapwing. (I also think the proportions of the wing aren't quite right for Feral Pigeon). Here's another couple of similar angles. Look just at the head and body (cover up the outer wings) and what do you see? Do the same with the photos I've uploaded and compare.

EDIT: added black & white conversion of original photo (3) to ease comparing side by side.
 

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It's going to look like either species to some because they are superficially similar - both have two wings for example. Agree lighting and pose may be playing some tricks with us here, but that may be all.

Although it looks a dead ringer for FP, superficially, there are enough similarities to other Lapwing in the photo to equally shed serious doubt - eg the square ended tail (compare to bird in centre of photo). The apparent pale primaries and narrower wings could be just down to lighting and angle ...
 
Look at the wing shape - including the wing tip and the shape of the trailing edge - and you'll see it cannot be a Lapwing. Also, the tail is slightly fan-shaped not straight-sided - compare it with the Lapwings in the second photo.

Mike Earp
 
I will concede the b/w rendition of the photo does remove the issue of the seemingly dark breast/lack of throat bar, and the underwing pattern COULD be a feature of lighting etc., but I hope we could all agree that lapwings have about the most readily identifiable flight profile and in-flight 'jizz' of any shorebird, therefore I would ask if this is a lapwing what caused the OP to think it wasn't and then go to the trouble of trying to photograph it, believing it was a ruff? Something about it's colouration, flight profile or structure must have caused him to see it as different from the rest of the flock? Perhaps you could comment Alan.

From what Alan says he 'identified the flying bird' and photographed it. What made it stand out?

Hope this shortens the 'panto'! :)
 
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