Rough-legged Hawk
Buteo lagopus
It is one of only two raptor species in North America (along with the Golden Eagle) to have feathers extending all the way down to its toes for cold-weather insulation.
- Scientific name
- Buteo lagopus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Accipitriformes › Accipitridae › Buteo
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- tundra
- Habitat
- Arctic tundra during breeding season; open grasslands, prairies, and agricultural fields during the winter.
- Diet
- Carnivorous, feeding almost exclusively on small rodents such as lemmings and voles.
- Range
- North America, Europe, Asia
- Size
- Wingspan of 120-150 cm (47-59 in); weight of 715-1400 grams.
- Lifespan
- Up to 15-18 years in the wild.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Climate change altering tundra ecosystems, secondary poisoning from rodenticides on wintering agricultural lands, and collisions with wind turbines.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans, though defensive near their nests. Maintain a safe distance of at least 100 meters during the breeding season. If a hawk begins dive-bombing or calling distressingly, you are too close; quietly and slowly back away from the area.
The rough-legged buzzard ( Buteo lagopus ), also called the rough-legged hawk , is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Eurasia during the breeding season and migrates south for the winter. It was traditionally also known as the rough-legged falcon in such works as John James Audubon's The Birds of America .
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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