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| MEASUREMENTS: The Rough-legged Hawk has a body length of 18 - 23 inches, a wingspan of 4 - 4 1/2 feet, and weighs 1 1/2 - 3 pounds. |
 HABITAT: This hawk spends the summer in the tundra and extreme northern taiga, and the winter in open lowland areas of prairies, marshes, and agricultural area across North America and Eurasia. |
| DIET: Lemmings and voles make up the bulk of this hawk’s diet, but it will also hunt other small mammals and birds. The Rough-legged Hawk is a diurnal (daytime), and sometimes crepuscular (dusk and dawn), hunter that pursues prey from a perched or hovering position. |
| REPRODUCTION: Bulky stick nests are built high on cliffs, rocky outcrops, or riverbanks on a protected ledge with a good vantage. The number of eggs laid depends on the availability of prey, with the female laying 2 - 7 eggs. The eggs are incubated for 28 - 31 days, and the young hawks fledge 5 - 6 weeks later. Birds become sexually mature at 2 years old. |
| NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name is from the Latin word buteo, referring to a kind of falcon or hawk, and the Greek words lagos, for hare or rabbit and pous, meaning a foot. The common and scientific names refer to the completely feathered legs. It is also known as a Rough-legged Buzzard. |
INTERESTING FACTS:
- Like many birds of prey, the male chicks develop quicker than the females, often fledging before the females.
- As with most arctic birds of prey, the Rough-legged Hawk’s productivity is closely tied to their prey. In years with high prey populations, more eggs are produced and more chicks survive to fledge. In low prey years, the predators may not breed.
- Rough-legged Hawks have a variety of plumage colors that range from light to dark. Also, the male, female, and juvenile birds have slightly different plumage patterns.
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