Birds
Rough-Legged Hawk
Buteo lagopus · also called rough-legged hawks
Over an open winter field far south of its Arctic breeding grounds, a rough-legged hawk hangs motionless in the air, wings beating just enough to hold position, scanning the ground below with legs feathered all the way to the toes against a cold most hawks never have to endure.
Overview
The rough-legged hawk, Buteo lagopus, is a hawk that breeds on Arctic tundra and winters across open grassland and farmland in temperate North America. Its feathered legs, distinctive hovering hunting style, and reliance on Arctic rodent cycles make it one of the more specialised and far-ranging hawk species on the continent.
A hawk built for two very different climates
Few hawks manage a life split as dramatically as the rough-legged hawk’s, breeding in genuine Arctic cold one season and hunting open temperate farmland the next, with feathered legs and a hovering hunting style suited to both extremes.
Status
Least Concern — widespread across its Arctic breeding and temperate wintering range, with breeding success varying year to year with rodent population cycles.
Rough-Legged Hawk: common questions
Why does the rough-legged hawk have feathered legs?
A rough-legged hawk has feathers extending all the way down its legs to the toes, an adaptation to the cold Arctic conditions it breeds in, a feature that sets it apart from most other hawk species, which typically have bare, unfeathered lower legs.
Why does the rough-legged hawk hover instead of soaring like other hawks?
A rough-legged hawk frequently hovers in place over open ground while scanning for prey, a technique that works well over the flat, often treeless tundra and grassland habitat it favours, where suitable elevated perches for spotting prey may be scarce or entirely absent.
Does the rough-legged hawk always breed successfully?
Not necessarily — rough-legged hawk breeding success is closely tied to local rodent population cycles, meaning the number of chicks successfully raised in a given year can vary considerably depending on how abundant lemmings and voles happen to be at the time.
Where does the rough-legged hawk live?
The rough-legged hawk breeds on open Arctic tundra, one of relatively few North American hawk species to nest that far north, then migrates south to winter across open grassland and farmland habitat in temperate North America.