>>35204740I’ll take this one.
They’re a type of shorebird (think sandpipers and plovers) that breeds in Eurasia and winters in Africa, but they occasionally get lost and find their way across the Atlantic to North America. They are bulky and large compared to most of their closest relatives, but the females generally look like big, chunky sandpipers while the males develop crazy feather ornaments during the breeding season. The lion-like mane of feathers around their neck is the reason for the name Ruff, and they also have erectile tufts on their heads that look like ears. Males also come in markedly different colors, which is unusual among birds. Some are chestnut, black, or even white. The mating system is pretty well described in the image here
>>35204713 with lots of males gathering together to strut and show off for the females. Those who are less flashy and powerful perform sneak mating along the fringes of the dominant males territories.
