Rough-legged Buzzard
Buteo lagopus (Pontoppidan, 1763)
48 cmLength135 cmWingspan950 gWeight
This northern buzzard has a white tail with a black terminal band and often hovers.
Busiest months: January, April and November · Most records: United States, Canada, Sweden
Looks like Common Buzzard
How to identify
Field marks
- Tail white, with one or more dark bands near tip
- Pale morph has white underwings with square black carpal patches
- Most color morphs have a broad brown breast-band
- Wingtips reach or extend beyond tail tip when perched
Male, female and young
Female slightly larger than male, with paler head and breast; female usually has only one tail band, male often one broad band plus two or three narrow ones.
Voice
A drawn-out, crying “Pi-iii-äääh”, somewhat cat-like, rising or falling in pitch.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: January, April and November · Most records: United States, Canada, Sweden
Rough-legged Buzzard has been recorded at 959 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 48 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Amherst IslandCanada4,064 records
- Parker River NWRUnited States3,522 records
- Whitefish PointUnited States3,363 records
More places
- GambellUnited States2,527 records
- Muskegon Wastewater SystemUnited States1,970 records
- RNF du Cap-TourmenteCanada1,926 records
- Hawk Ridge Nature ReserveUnited States1,846 records
- PN du Bic – Belvédère Raoul-RoyCanada1,572 records
- Derby Hill Hawk Watch – North LookoutUnited States1,466 records
- Farmington Bay WMAUnited States1,463 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
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 Asia during the breeding season, and migrates south for the winter. Historically, it was also known as "rough-legged falcon" in such works as John James Audubon's The Birds of America.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Rough-legged Buzzard?
The Rough-legged Buzzard is about 48 cm long, with a wingspan of 135 cm and weighs around 950 g.
Where does the Rough-legged Buzzard live?
Its breeding range: North America, Palearctic: widespread. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Sweden.
When is the best time to see the Rough-legged Buzzard?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, April and November (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Rough-legged Buzzard endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Rough-legged Buzzard as Least Concern.
What does the Rough-legged Buzzard eat?
Main food: Vertebrate prey.
What family is the Rough-legged Buzzard in?
It belongs to the family Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae), order Accipitriformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 48 cm
- Wingspan
- 135 cm
- Weight
- 950 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Vertebrate prey
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 428 mm
- Tail
- 240 mm
- Bill
- 34 mm
- Tarsus
- 72 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America, Palearctic: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 1
- Buteo lagopus menzbieri ne Asia | non-breeding: c Asia, n China and Japan
Classification
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Kites, Hawks, Eagles Accipitridae
- Genus
- Buteo
Other birds in the genus Buteo
Grey HawkButeo plagiatus
Grey-lined HawkButeo nitidus
Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
Ridgway's HawkButeo ridgwayi
Zone-tailed HawkButeo albonotatus
Hawaiian HawkButeo solitarius
White-throated HawkButeo albigula
Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurus
Swainson's HawkButeo swainsoni
Galapagos HawkButeo galapagoensis
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Declan Troy. ↗
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