Ruff - Philomachus pugnax (Linnaeus, 1758) Μαχητής - Cyprus

The ruff is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical shorebirds. It is the sole member of the genus Philomachus, and recent research suggests that its closest relatives are the broad-billed sandpiper, Limicola falcinellus, and the sharp-tailed sandpiper, Calidris acuminata. It has no recognised subspecies or geographical variants.

This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae in 1758 as Tringa pugnax. It was moved into its current genus by German naturalist Blasius Merrem in 1804.Both parts of the binomial name refer to the aggressive behaviour of the bird at its mating arenas; Philomachus is derived from Ancient Greek philo- "loving" and machē "battle", andpugnax from the Latin term for "combative".

The original English name for this bird, dating back to at least 1465, is the ree, perhaps derived from a dialectical term meaning "frenzied"; a later name reeve, which is still used for the female, is of unknown origin, but may be derived from the shire-reeve, a feudal officer, likening the male's flamboyant plumage to the official's robes. The current name was first recorded in 1634, and is derived from the ruff, an exaggerated collar fashionable from the mid-sixteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century, since the male bird's neck ornamental feathers resemble the neck-wear.

The ruff is a migratory species, breeding in wetlands in colder regions of northern Eurasia, and spends the northern winter in the tropics, mainly in Africa. Some Siberian breeders undertake an annual round trip of up to 30,000 km (18,500 mi) to the West African wintering grounds. There is a limited overlap of the summer and winter ranges in western Europe. The ruff breeds in extensive lowland freshwater marshes and damp grasslands. It avoids barren tundra and areas badly affected by severe weather, preferring hummocky marshes and deltas with shallow water. The wetter areas provide a source of food, the mounds and slopes may be used for leks, and dry areas with sedge or low scrub offer nesting sites. A Hungarian study showed that moderately intensive grazing of grassland, with more than one cow per hectare (2.5 acres), was found to attract more nesting pairs. When not breeding, the birds use a wider range of shallow wetlands, such as irrigated fields, lake margins, and mining subsidence and other floodlands. Dry grassland, tidal mudflats and the seashore are less frequently used. The density can reach 129 individuals per square kilometre (334 per square mile), but is usually much lower.

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Photos and video Akrotiri by George Konstantinou