Male phenotypes in the ruff. (Left) Independent ruff males interacting at a lek. (Right) A Satellite ruff male with pale ornamental feathers at a lek. Photos courtesy of Tom Schandy. Ruff males have ...

The international journal 'Science' featured a male ruff, boasting its magnificent plumage, on this week's cover. The ruff is a classic example of a polyandrous bird species. Every year during the ...

Keepers at Torquay’s coastal zoo are preparing the ground for some fierce competition. They are cutting the grass and clearing undergrowth so that one species of bird can indulge in its extraordinary ...

When it comes to birds and romance, the male ruff is pretty unique, according to new research coming out of Simon Fraser University. During mating season, females are approached by three distinct ...

The ruff has one of the weirdest sexual systems in the world – all thanks to a large piece of chromosome that was flipped over 3.8 million years ago. A type of wading sandpiper, ruffs are named after ...

Many men will have found themselves in the 'friend zone' when attempting to get close to a member of the opposite sex, but one species of Eurasian wading bird uses this to its advantage. Certain male ...

Markku Nikki (Finland) highlights the impressive jumps and flamboyant plumage that are part of the male ruff’s mating display. Each spring, Markku documents the spectacle at a communal display ground ...

This week a group of Chinese birdwatchers are near Oulu in northern Finland to observe a single species of sandpiper, known as the ruff. The tourists got up at 3 o'clock in the morning to catch a ...

The ruff is a Eurasian shorebird that has a spectacular lekking behavior where highly ornamented males compete for females. Now two groups report that males with alternative reproductive strategies ...