Springtime is high-fashion season for the ruff. In wetlands across northern Europe and Asia, these medium-sized waders gather in marshes to form leks, which are small breeding areas used for courtship displays. Dominant males (also called independents) like the fancy fellow on our homepage, fluff up their colored and intricately patterned capes and collars and mock fight with each other. Their aim? Each wants to secure a prime spot on the lek to showcase his finery and entice watching females to choose him as a mate.
Making it work—in Norway
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Celebrating National Park Week, April 21-29
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Poppies in bloom
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Big-wave hunters watch Nazaré
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A cry for independence
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International Surfing Day
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The Alhambra in Granada, Spain
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Going head-to-head with winter
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Explorer of the sea
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Let s celebrate cephalopods
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April Fools Day
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A look at Uranus, seventh planet from the sun
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It’s Weihnachtsmarkt time!
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The meeting point of the winds
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A rock in a wild place
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Bird’s-eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
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GOAL!
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The story of the poinsettia
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A fortress in the sky
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Travel Sunday: Flamenco in Granada, Andalusia, Spain
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Weaverbird nests at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve