ruff

9.9

A wading bird whose male shows a collar of feathers in breeding season

: combatiente

His feet were large and his legs long, like sticks, but his ruff was very elegant and his eyes grinned.

Examples

Schmidt's subjects look anywhere but at the camera: the frontality of a Sander or a Thomas Ruff would suggest a complicity alien to U-ni-ty.

Academic text (2003)
The duster was mostly legs and a long neck, with a bulbous body covered with black feathers except for an upstanding ruff of bushy green feathers across its back.

Fiction book (1990)
Other shorebirds, notably ruffs, jacanas, avocets, and thick-knees, display mostly on the ground and without acrobatic maneuvers.

Academic text (2006)
During the breeding season, the male ruff displays an impressive neck ruff to attract mates.
The ruff, a distinctive wading bird, can often be seen in wetlands during migration.
His birdwatching guide pointed out the ruff, which is known for its elaborate feather display in spring.

vsruff

9.9

A wading bird whose male shows a large collar of feathers on the neck during breeding

is the common name for the same Eurasian wading bird

neck ruff

9.9

A high, stiff collar made of linen or lace worn around the neck

ruff singular

ruffs plural

Ruff the bird is named for the male's showy neck 'ruff' of feathers, so the bird's name links directly to that bright, collar-like display.