The first Ruffs in the marshes of Gautegiz Arteaga

This week we have seen the first Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) in the marshes of Gautegiz Arteaga. This specimen is the spearhead of the first Ruffs which after breed in the Arctic tundra have begun their autumnal migration at the beginning of September, resting in some of our wetlands.

The Ruff is a migratory wader bird in most of the Pale Arctic, anatomically it is very similar to Greenshanks and Redshanks. Its breeding areas are spreading out to northern tundra, especially in Scandinavia, Baltic and North of Russia. It prefers areas of wet tundra around coast areas, deltas and wetlands with small lakes or almost flood plains. It spends the winter in sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Chad. In the Iberian Peninsula small groups spend the winter in marshes and dry land steppes of the interior Peninsula, such as wet Mancha, South of Extremadura and North West of Castilla-León. In Urdaibai it is an usual migratory but scarce bird. In the wetlands of Gautegiz Arteaga are usually seen small groups or solitary individuals in migratory seasons. The first after-breeding migrants come at the end of February or at the beginning of March, while the first post-breeding migrants are already seen from mid-August.

This species is unique for its nuptial behaviour, as the male spreads a spectacular plumage in its competition for the territory and females, making it one of the most peculiar wader bird in Urdaibai during its migration. However, when they appear in our wetlands, the crown that they show during this nuptial time, has already disappeared.