Rough-legged buzzard

Rough-legged buzzard
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Buteo
Species:
B. lagopus
Binomial name
Buteo lagopus
(Pontoppidan, 1763)
Subspecies[2]
  • B. l. lagopus - (Pontoppidan, 1763)
  • B. l. menzbieri - Dementiev, 1951
  • B. l. kamtschatkensis - Dementiev, 1931
  • B. l. sanctijohannis - (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
Range of B. lagopus
  Summer
  Winter
The tail is white with a dark terminal band.
The feet are feathered.

The rough-legged buzzard (Europe) or rough-legged hawk (North America) (Buteo lagopus) is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America, Europe, and Russia during the breeding season and migrates south for the winter.[3] It was traditionally also known as the rough-legged falcon[4] in such works as John James Audubon's The Birds of America.

Nests are typically located on cliffs, bluffs or in trees. Clutch sizes are variable with food availability, but three to five eggs are usually laid.[5] These hawks hunt over open land, feeding primarily on small mammals.[3] Along with the kestrels, kites, and osprey, this is one of the few birds of prey to hover regularly.[6]

Characteristic dark carpal patches ("dark windows") and tail pattern are clearly visible.
  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Buteo lagopus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22695973A93536293. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22695973A93536293.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Gill F, D Donsker & P Rasmussen (Eds). 2020. IOC World Bird List (v10.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.10.2.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference BNA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Richardson1831 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference virtualwildlife was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference BOPT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).