Species: Buteo lagopus

Rough-legged Hawk

Species

Birds

Show on Lists

Species of concern in the Salish Sea

Salish Sea-reliant birds

Terrestrial vertebrates: birds

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Aves

Order

Falconiformes

Family

Accipitridae

Genus

Buteo

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105206

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Aguililla Ártica - buse pattue

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Raptors

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Falconiformes - Accipitridae - Buteo

Ecology and Life History

Migration

false - false - true - Migrates north from wintering grounds in U.S. March-May; arrives in northern breeding areas in Beaufort Sea area by late April-early May. Southward migration occurs in fall, arriving in the U.S. mostly in September-October; present in southern winter range mostly November-February (Palmer 1988).

Non-migrant

false

Locally Migrant

false

Food Comments

Feeds primarily on microtine rodents and other small mammals (lemmings, mice, ground squirrels, cottontails, etc., including carrion); also eats small birds and game birds, in addition to some insects. Hunts in the air, captures most food on the ground.

Reproduction Comments

Egg dates: May-June in Labrador; May-July (peak in May or June in various areas in Alaska and arctic Canada. Average hatching date in southwestern Alaska: mid-June; mid-July in northern Yukon. Clutch size is 2-7, largest when lemmings are abundant). Incubation, mainly by female, lasts 28-31 days. Young are tended by both parents, fly well at about 5-6 weeks; some may be independent a month or less after attaining flight (Palmer 1988). First breeds probably at 2 years. Number of breeding pairs and/or breeding success usually increase with lemming/vole abundance.

Ecology Comments

Productivity fluctuates greatly in relation to prey density. Winter territory encompasses about 10-16 sq km (Zarn 1974); may aggregate and roost in groups where food is abundant. Nesting territory probably as small as 5-6 sq km when prey density high (Palmer 1988).

Length

Weight

1278

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-22

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-22

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

Panboreal. BREEDS: in Noth America, from Aleutians and western and northern Alaska across low arctic and subarctic Canada. See Bechard and Houston (1984) for erroneous nest records. WINTERS: mainly from southern Canada south to southern California, southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, southern Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, casually to eastern Texas and the Gulf Coast. Most numerous in winter in the Great Basin and central and northern Great Plains (Root 1988).

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105206