The Ruff

During migration to northern areas the Ruff stays in the Netherlands. The male has a beautiful feather headdress in the spring to seduces the females. The Ruff is a unique bird with a fascinating mating strategy involving three different types of males: the territorial, the satellite, and the rare female-mimicking 'feader' When there are several males, there are mock fights in the spring. I was lucky enough to discover a group of Ruffs in "de hooilanden"near Veenendaal. The male was alone and has several females.