Birdwatch: the ruff – which was named first, the collar or the bird?

Our author spots four of these striking birds as they pause their migration at the Somerset Levels

Sporting the splendid feathery collars that give the ruff its name, they reminded me of the foppish, preening courtiers of Tudor times.

This trio of male ruffs, along with a much smaller female (known as a reeve) were frantically feeding at the RSPB's Ham Wall reserve. This is one of their favoured stopover points on their long journey north, from Africa to the Arctic tundra.