Rough-legged Hawk
Buteo lagopus
Summary 7
The Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus), called the Rough-legged Hawk in North America, 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.
Distribution 8
Buteo lagopus has a nearly holarctic distribution. Its geographic range includes most of the United States and all of Canada. Rough-legged hawks spend their winter months in all of the United States except for North Carolina and along the southeast coast of the United States, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas. They are found as far north as Newfoundland and as far west as central Europe and parts of Russia.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); palearctic (Native )
Other Geographic Terms: holarctic
Morphology 9
Adult rough-legged hawks average 1026 g and have a wingspan of 134 cm. Total length averages 53 cm. Females are typically the larger gender. Rough-legged hawks have eight different morphs that vary between sex, age, and location. Both sexes exhibit both light and dark morphs; and coloration varies between juveniles and adults.
All adult morphs have a black band that goes along the edges of the underside of their lesser coverts. Adults also all have dark colored eyes. Juveniles have light colored eyes and a dark band along the underside of their wings.
Light morphs of adult females have brown backs and a pattern of increased markings from breast to belly. They have one dark tail band and heavily marked leg feathers. Light-morph adult males have grayish backs. Their breasts are more heavily marked than the belly and multiple bands exist on the tail. A light-morph adult male has heavily-marked leg feathers.
Dark-morph adult males are almost completely black but can be brownish with several white bands on their dark tail. Dark-morph adult females are dark brown with a single black band underneath their tail. Dark-morph juveniles are similar to adult females but exhibit rusty bands underneath their wings and tails. Some individuals have a pale-brown head.
Range mass: 745 to 1380 g.
Average mass: 1026 g.
Range length: 46 to 59 cm.
Average length: 53 cm.
Range wingspan: 122 to 143 cm.
Average wingspan: 134 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry ; polymorphic
Sexual Dimorphism: female larger; sexes colored or patterned differently
Habitat 10
Rough-legged hawks inhabit open country and agricultural lands. They are more common in open, early successional areas in which they can soar and seek prey in grasslands and shrublands. Once migration is complete they settle in a suitable nesting spot with enough food nearby to sustain them. Their nests are usually located in trees or on a rocky cliff in which they can overlook a field to catch prey for themselves and their young.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; scrub forest ; mountains
Other Habitat Features: suburban ; agricultural ; riparian
Sources and Credits
- (c) Rick Leche - Photography, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/64649343@N00/3267798008
- (c) Blake Matheson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3350/3205645204_150a74a0f3_o.jpg
- (c) Walter Siegmund (talk), some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Buteo_lagopus_29283.JPG/460px-Buteo_lagopus_29283.JPG
- (c) Walter Siegmund (talk), some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Buteo_lagopus_29297.JPG/460px-Buteo_lagopus_29297.JPG
- (c) Walter Siegmund, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Buteo_lagopus_29289.JPG/460px-Buteo_lagopus_29289.JPG
- (c) Walter Siegmund (talk), some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Buteo_lagopus_29277.JPG/460px-Buteo_lagopus_29277.JPG
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buteo_lagopus
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31381721
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31381723
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31381722
