Head to head
Rough-Legged Hawk vs Ferruginous Hawk
A rough-legged hawk and a ferruginous hawk can end up hunting the very same stretch of open grassland in winter, yet one of them has just flown thousands of miles from Arctic tundra while the other has likely never left the prairie at all.
| Rough-Legged Hawk | Ferruginous Hawk | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Buteo lagopus | Buteo regalis |
| Breeding range | Arctic tundra | Grassland and prairie, year-round |
| Migration | Long-distance, tundra to temperate grassland | Largely resident |
| Hunting style | Frequently hovers in place | Soars and perch-hunts |
| Main prey | Lemmings and voles | Ground squirrels and prairie dogs |
| Size | Medium Buteo | Largest Buteo in North America |
| Population trend | Stable | Decreasing regionally |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Rough-Legged Hawk vs Ferruginous Hawk: common questions
Why can you see a rough-legged hawk and a ferruginous hawk in the same field in winter?
A rough-legged hawk migrates south from its Arctic tundra breeding grounds each winter to hunt open temperate grassland, while the ferruginous hawk already lives year-round across that same kind of grassland and prairie habitat, so the two species' ranges genuinely overlap during the colder months even though only one of them travels such an extreme distance to get there.
Which of these two hawks is bigger?
The ferruginous hawk is larger, ranking as the biggest Buteo, or soaring hawk, species found in North America, while the rough-legged hawk is a more moderately sized member of the same broad hawk group.
Why does the ferruginous hawk depend so heavily on prairie dogs?
The ferruginous hawk specialises heavily in hunting ground squirrels and prairie dogs, so its population and breeding success are closely tied to the health of those prey colonies, unlike the rough-legged hawk, which instead ties its breeding success to Arctic lemming and vole cycles far to the north.