facts about the rough-legged hawk
By zteve t evans
The Rough-legged hawk (Buteo lagopus), is also known as the Rough-legged buzzard and is so called because its legs are completely feathered. This is thought to help protect from rodent bites when it catches prey. Similar species to the Rough-legged hawk include the Red-tailed hawk, Turkey vulture, Northern harrier, and the Ferruginous hawk.
Habitat
In the summer the Rough-legged hawk is found in the tundra and and taiga of the northern parts of North America and Eurasia. In winter it favours marshes, prairies and agricultural regions of Eurasia and North America.
Description
The adult Rough-legged hawk has broad wings with a span of about 4 to 4.5 feet and a body length of around 18 inches and weighs around 1.5 – 3 pounds. The flight feathers are light with dark edges. The tail has a white base and a dark wide tip. Variations in colouring do occur but they often have a streaked breast with darker under parts. Juvenile Rough-legged hawks have tails that are browner and a less distinctive dark strip along the wing edges.
Diet
Much of the diet of the Rough-legged hawk consists of rodents such as voles and lemmings though it will also prey upon other small mammals and birds. This hawk hunts in the day time and sometimes from dusk to dawn often finding a high perch to look out for prey, or by hovering over the ground while searching out prey with its keen eyesight, dropping or swooping for the kill.
In the summer the Rough-legged hawk is found in the tundra and and taiga of the northern parts of North America and Eurasia. In winter it favours marshes, prairies and agricultural regions of Eurasia and North America.
Description
The adult Rough-legged hawk has broad wings with a span of about 4 to 4.5 feet and a body length of around 18 inches and weighs around 1.5 – 3 pounds. The flight feathers are light with dark edges. The tail has a white base and a dark wide tip. Variations in colouring do occur but they often have a streaked breast with darker under parts. Juvenile Rough-legged hawks have tails that are browner and a less distinctive dark strip along the wing edges.
Diet
Much of the diet of the Rough-legged hawk consists of rodents such as voles and lemmings though it will also prey upon other small mammals and birds. This hawk hunts in the day time and sometimes from dusk to dawn often finding a high perch to look out for prey, or by hovering over the ground while searching out prey with its keen eyesight, dropping or swooping for the kill.
Breeding
The Rough-legged hawk builds a bulky bowl shaped nest of sticks , twigs and sometimes caribou bones in trees or on protected ledges of cliff or rock outcrops that make good vantage points for hunting. The nest is lined with local materials such as small twigs grasses, sedges and similar vegetation.
Like other birds of prey in the Arctic regions the Rough-legged hawk’s egg production is closely linked to the abundance of prey. The female will lay between 2 -7 eggs whitish with brown splashes in colour depending on this. In years of scarcity Rough-legged hawk pairs may not breed at all.
The eggs take 28-30 days to hatch and the chicks will need 5-6 weeks to fledge. New born chicks are covered in down and virtually helpless. Male chicks grow faster than females and may fledge first. They will reach sexual maturity around 2 years of age.
Conservation and Threats
The Rough-legged hawk is described on the IUCN Red List as of ‘Least Concern’ and there does not seem to be evidence of any major decline in population though fluctuations do tend to appear when prey such as lemmings are scarce.
© 07/10/20013 zteve t evans
The Rough-legged hawk builds a bulky bowl shaped nest of sticks , twigs and sometimes caribou bones in trees or on protected ledges of cliff or rock outcrops that make good vantage points for hunting. The nest is lined with local materials such as small twigs grasses, sedges and similar vegetation.
Like other birds of prey in the Arctic regions the Rough-legged hawk’s egg production is closely linked to the abundance of prey. The female will lay between 2 -7 eggs whitish with brown splashes in colour depending on this. In years of scarcity Rough-legged hawk pairs may not breed at all.
The eggs take 28-30 days to hatch and the chicks will need 5-6 weeks to fledge. New born chicks are covered in down and virtually helpless. Male chicks grow faster than females and may fledge first. They will reach sexual maturity around 2 years of age.
Conservation and Threats
The Rough-legged hawk is described on the IUCN Red List as of ‘Least Concern’ and there does not seem to be evidence of any major decline in population though fluctuations do tend to appear when prey such as lemmings are scarce.
© 07/10/20013 zteve t evans
References and Attributions
Copyright October 7, 2013 zteve t evans
Copyright October 7, 2013 zteve t evans
- Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus) - BirdGuides
- Rough-legged buzzard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Rough-legged hawk in flight - ARKive