Taxonomy and Nomenclature
The Ruff is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical shorebirds. It is the sole member of the genus Philomachus, and recent research suggests that its closest relatives are the Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata. It has no recognised subspecies or geographical variants.
This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae in 1758 as Tringa pugnax. It was moved into its current genus by German naturalist Blasius Merrem in 1804. Both parts of the binomial name refer to the aggressive behaviour of the bird at its mating arenas; Philomachus is derived from Ancient Greek philo- "loving" and machē "battle", and pugnax from the Latin term for "combative".
The original English name for this bird, dating back to at least 1465, is the ree, perhaps derived from a dialectical term meaning "frenzied"; a later name reeve, which is still used for the female, is of unknown origin, but may be derived from the shire-reeve, a feudal officer, likening the male's flamboyant plumage to the official's robes. The current name was first recorded in 1634, and is derived from the ruff, an exaggerated collar fashionable from the mid-sixteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century, since the male bird's neck ornamental feathers resemble the neck-wear.
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