Female Ruff - Ethiopia October 2019 (1 Viewer)

[Aladdin]

Dear members and bird watchers!

One member once told me that "There are as many different Ruff plumages as there are Ruffs"

Attached pictures is a bird I have identified as a Female Ruff in noon breeding plumage (If females change plumage)

I consulted my "Birds of Horn of Africa" Boom and the ID was easy. Picture #3 The male have white neck and belly

I like the Ruffs in summer plumage so I checked my Collins book "Svensson" as well. Suddenly it was not so easy any more. See picture #4 for Ruff in Collins

Now the female and male looks almost the same, I think we can forget the bill (Yellow base on male) as my bird have dipped the bill in thhe mud.

But in Collins the bird have what looks like black spots on the front.

Anyone that can be so kind to help me out, is it a female or male in none breeding plumage?

Kind regards and happy birding!
Aladdin

TWITTER

XENO-CANTO

eBird

flickr

YouTube

 

[Andy Adcock]

I'm not sure they can be sexed in winter?

Females are usually bigger?

 

[CARERY]

To complicate the matter there are a few males that pretent to be females:

https://www.nature.com/articles/ng.3443

Just looking at your photos based on the bulky body (males are usually distinctly larger in Ruff) with proportionally small neck and head I'd call it a male. But maybe better left unsexed...

 

[Aladdin]

I'm not sure they can be sexed in winter?

Females are usually bigger?

Thank you again (YET AGAIN) andyadcock and CARERY

I based my ID on the book Horn of Africa. Just because i like the bird and I find it interesting with the 3 different males I checked the bird in my "Svensson" and there the bird look like a male.

The bill is dipped in mud, might be my imagination, but it looks a wee bit yellow at the base. So for me it is depending on the book I use.

Thank you again!
Aladdin

 

[Aladdin]

To complicate the matter there are a few males that pretent to be females:

https://www.nature.com/articles/ng.3443

Just looking at your photos based on the bulky body (males are usually distinctly larger in Ruff) with proportionally small neck and head I'd call it a male. But maybe better left unsexed...

Thanks for the link!

Very interesting, but I only understood half of it. I will study it again. The male thing is very confusing, as when I have studied them on the internet. I was lucky to get to see them in Europe last year in breeding plumage.

I might be wrong, but I have identified all 3 birds as: Female, Territorial male and a Satellite male, the female because of the black spots on the breast

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

 

[CARERY]

As you can easily see the left hand bird is smaller. So you're most probaly right to call it a female. Still, it could be ome of those rare female-plumaged males.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I've posted this before but it's nice if you've never seen the display, from one of my patches in Russia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV_e14Gymzo&list=PLJQimV2945yz9N7QTte6AX_N5GihZhdBh

 

[Nutcracker]

I'm not sure they can be sexed in winter?

Females are usually bigger?

Other way round! Males (26-32 cm) are substantially larger than females (20-25 cm); so much so, that they can usually be sexed at all times of year by size alone - this is unique among waders. Males are about Redshank size, while females are only a bit larger than Dunlin or Curlew Sandpiper.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Other way round! Males (26-32 cm) are substantially larger than females (20-25 cm); so much so, that they can usually be sexed at all times of year by size alone - this is unique among waders. Males are about Redshank size, while females are only a bit larger than Dunlin or Curlew Sandpiper.

I thought that when the Slender-billed Curlew was being discussed, it's unexpectedly large size, was put down to it being female?

 

[Nutcracker]

I thought that when the Slender-billed Curlew was being discussed, it's unexpectedly large size, was put down to it being female?

Which one? The Druridge bird wasn't (AFAIK) mentioned as being 'unexpectedly large'; the Minsmere claim bird was large because it was a 'Common' Curlew 3

True that in Numenius (and related Limosa), bill length is longer in females; this doesn't (again AFAIK) apply in the less-closely related Calidris species like Ruff.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Which one? The Druridge bird wasn't (AFAIK) mentioned as being 'unexpectedly large'; the Minsmere claim bird was large because it was a 'Common' Curlew 3

True that in Numenius (and related Limosa), bill length is longer in females; this doesn't (again AFAIK) apply in the less-closely related Calidris species like Ruff.

The Druridge bird AFAIR, had people commenting that it was bigger than they'd expected and that was explained away by it being a female, perhaps the mists of time have affected my recollection.

 

[Aladdin]

As you can easily see the left hand bird is smaller. So you're most probaly right to call it a female. Still, it could be ome of those rare female-plumaged males.

Thank you all

I will go for female, non breeding. The last picture and I had help from the members to identify the birds. And I had never thought about the size. I just checked the black spots, but now when I look at the picture and thinking about it it is quite a size difference

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

 

[Aladdin]

I've posted this before but it's nice if you've never seen the display, from one of my patches in Russia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV_e14Gymzo&list=PLJQimV2945yz9N7QTte6AX_N5GihZhdBh

GREAT VIDEO! But zero comments on the video. I tried to make a comment but as soon as the video came to an end it jumped to next video and your comment was gone.

I would like to know where I can see this, would be lovely

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

 

[Andy Adcock]

GREAT VIDEO! But zero comments on the video. I tried to make a comment but as soon as the video came to an end it jumped to next video and your comment was gone.

I would like to know where I can see this, would be lovely

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

No idea why you cannot comment, function is available when I look?

 

[Nutcracker]

No idea why you cannot comment, function is available when I look?

If you don't have a google/youtube account, you can't comment - so only if you've signed your soul away to Google, Inc. (the owners of youtube) :t:

 

[Andy Adcock]

If you don't have a google/youtube account, you can't comment - so only if you've signed your soul away to Google, Inc. (the owners of youtube) :t:

Did not know that.

 

[lou salomon]

not exactly sure why but proportins in the original bird look more like that of an adult male. maybe it's the proportionally smaller head?

 

[Aladdin]

No idea why you cannot comment, function is available when I look?

Hello andyadcock

Yes, the comment function is there. I have almost finished my question when the short video come to an end and it jumps automatic to the next video.

On other videos the video don't change if you don't look at the video (read or write comments) When you finish you scroll up so the video are in full view and it change automatic

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

 

[Aladdin]

If you don't have a google/youtube account, you can't comment - so only if you've signed your soul away to Google, Inc. (the owners of youtube) :t:

Hello Nutcracker!

I have an account and I can make comments on all the videos, just not on these videos what I have discovered so far


Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

 

[Nutcracker]

Hello andyadcock

Yes, the comment function is there. I have almost finished my question when the short video come to an end and it jumps automatic to the next video.

On other videos the video don't change if you don't look at the video (read or write comments) When you finish you scroll up so the video are in full view and it change automatic

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

Try pressing the pause button on the video so it stops, then post your comment while it is paused?