Description:

Extreme sexual dimorphism, males larger than females. Distinctive shape, with long neck, small head, short and slightly downcurved bill, and long yellowish or orangey legs. In all plumages, lacks prominent supercilium. In flight, shows narrow white wing-bar and prominent white sides to uppertail-coverts.

Distribution:

Uncommon passage migrant through the north-western parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, very rare in Baltistan. Usually found near wetlands; including marshes, lakes, river banks, boggy areas and grasslands. From lowlands up to 3000m during passage migration.

Behavior:

Probes in mud or soil and picks prey from surface or plants; sometimes follows ploughs or wades in shallow water. Nocturnal and diurnal feeder. Diet mainly terrestrial and aquatic insects, including adults and larvae, particularly of beetles and flies; also mayflies, grasshoppers, small crustaceans, spiders, frogs and small fish; sometimes feed on seeds, grasses and aquatic plants.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Ruff in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Ruff

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.