Rough-legged Hawk
Tyee and Kenai
Tyee (a male) was found in a school yard
in Corvallis in January 1997, with muscle damage and punctures to the
shoulder. Unable to fly well enough for hunting and his long migrations, he
was placed with CRC for education in August 1997.
Kenai, a female based on size and coloration - was found alongside a road in
southern Washington in January 2000, with an open fracture of the left wrist
- probably hit by a car. The exposed bones were badly fragmented and
ultimately died, so the wing tip was amputated. She was placed with CRC in
January 2003, after spending some time in an education program in Klamath
Falls.
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)
A large, long-winged, long-tailed hawk; females are larger than males. The
Latin name means "rabbit-footed," as the legs are
feathered completely down to the small yellow feet. The pattern and
amount of dark is extremely variable in this species. In the
common light morph (light-colored variety), this hawk is more boldly
patterned compared to other buteos, with brown back and wings, but head,
neck, underside and thighs white or buffy with streaks or spots of brown;
females and immatures have a dark belly band, while the adult male has a
darker "bib" across the breast, and paler belly. The tail is pale with dark
bars, dark at the end. When viewed in flight, square black patches at the
wrist, or bend, of the wing underside are a distinctive feature. Flight is
active with slow, flexible wingbeats; soars in a medium dihedral (v-shaped
attitude of wings), and hovers frequently.
Rough-legged Hawk Notes
Size - Length: 18 - 23" • Wing Span: 48 - 56" • Weight: 1.6 - 3.0 lb.
Range - Circumpolar (unlike other North American buteo hawks, is not
limited to the New World).
Status - State and federally protected.
Habitat - Open country; breeds on Arctic tundra and mixed tundra /
boreal forest. Whole population moves south in winter, keeping to open
farmland, marshes, other open areas; often migrates in large flocks,
arriving in early to mid - autumn; are settled in winter territory across
the U.S. from November to March. Often roosts communally in winter, usually
in conifers.
Diet - Small to medium sized mammals. Hunts in open areas from a low
perch or elevated spot; frequently hover hunts. May be found in same area
and eat the same food as Red-tailed Hawks, but avoids direct contact and
competition with that species by hunting from lower perches, keeping more to
open areas, and using a less sedentary hunting style.
Call - Soft, plaintive courting whistle in breeding season; alarm
call is a loud screech or squeal, or a drawn-out, descending, whistled
kee-eeer.
Nesting - Very territorial in summer. Builds nests on elevated sites
on open tundra, using a wide variety of locations, such as eroded
riverbanks, rock outcrops, ledges - any place that provides some protection
against predators. Ability of this species to use many different types of
nest sites is important in their survival, since they must compete for
available sites with resident Ravens and Gyrfalcons, as well as with
Peregrine Falcons that arrive in northern breeding grounds at the same time.
Most Common Problems - For those seen at Cascades Raptor Center is
collision with cars/trucks.
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