Animalia Life
Philomachus pugnax
SUBFAMILY
Calidrinae
TAXONOMY
Tringa Pugnax Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Reeve (female); French: Combattant variй; German:
Kampflдufer; Spanish: Combatiente.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Male 10.2–12.6 in (26–32 cm), 0.29–0.56 lb (130–254 g); female
7.9–9.8 in (20–25 cm), 0.15–0.37 lb (70–170 g). Males
have head tufts and ruffs of variable color (buff, chestnut, dark
purple, black, white), often barred or spotted. Females lack this
specialized plumage and are considerably smaller than males.
DISTRIBUTION
Europe through Siberia to Chukotskiy Peninsula and Sea of
Okhotsh; winters in Africa, also Mediterranean, Middle East,
and Indian subcontinent.
HABITAT
Lowland marshes, deltas, and damp grasslands in tundra; winters
at grassland, plough, rice fields, inland freshwater habitats,
and coastal pools.
BEHAVIOR
Mates at traditional leks, where males gather to display and
fight and females visit.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Eats insects, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, small aquatic vertebrates,
rice, seeds, and plants. Sometimes feeds while wading
or swimming.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Nests May–August. Incubation and brood rearing done by female.
Clutch contains three to four eggs with an incubation of
20–23 days; fledges at 25–28 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Population possibly over 2 million. Declining in West Africa;
breeding range has contracted in west due to wetland drainage,
but has increased in east Russia.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
Photo Gallery of - Ruff
