Dunlin vs Ruff
The ruff is heavier: 131.7 g against 51.9 g for the dunlin, about 2.5 times the weight.
Photo: Jevgenijs Slihto from Riga, Latvia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Wald1siedel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a dunlin and a ruff?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- The ruff is heavier: 131.7 g against 51.9 g for the dunlin, about 2.5 times the weight.
- The dunlin is longer-lived: 28.8 years against 13.9 years for the ruff, about 2.1 times the lifespan.
- Both belong to the genus Calidris, so they are close relatives.
- The dunlin is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List; the ruff is Least Concern.
Side by side
| Dunlin | Ruff | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Calidris alpina | Calidris pugnax |
| Family | Scolopacidae | Scolopacidae |
| Order | Charadriiformes | Charadriiformes |
| Weight | 51.9 g – 57.1 g | 102 g – 180 g |
| Length | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 19.8 years – 28.8 years | 13.9 years – 13.9 years |
| Main food | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland | wetland |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened | Least Concern |
| Countries recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.