From Opus

Alternative name: Rough-legged Hawk

Photo by muskrat
Location: North-eastern Pennsylvania

Buteo lagopus

[edit] Identification

53-63cm. Wings long and broad. Brown upperparts, paler, streaked head, brown-spotted white breast, and dark breast band. The legs are fully feathered. Wings are mostly pale below but in typical birds have a dark square at the base of the hand and in adults are dark-edged. Tail is white with one broad dark subterminal band and 0-5 additional narrow bands close the the subterminal band. In the American subspecies, a dark morph occurs where body and wingcoverts are completely dark but flight feathers and tail are quite typical, almost silvery white in this form. In all forms, a broad white uppertail is diagnostic (a narrow version of this can be seen in Common Buzzard) and most often, you should notice pale basis of primaries on the upperside of the wing.

[edit] Similar Species

Can be told from Common Buzzard in flight by the whitish tail with the single dark bar at the end. Is more inclined to hover than Common or Honey Buzzard.

Dark phase; photo by Marcel Gauthier
St-Armand, Quebec, Canada, March 2005

[edit] Distribution

Breeds North America, Canada, Europe and Asia; most if not all populations are migratory, wintering south of the breeding areas.
In North America breeds in the northern half of Canada, wintering mainly in the USA.
In Europe breed in Scandinavia through northern Russia, wintering mainly south of the Baltic Sea to The Balkans and east of that. Irregular winter visitor to east coast of England, more regularly in Scotland and Northern Isles.

[edit] Taxonomy

Four subspecies are recognized^[1]: lagopus, menzbieri, kamtschatkensis, and sanctijohannis.

[edit] Habitat

Mostly wilder coastal areas; tundra, open prairies, farmland, marshes.

[edit] Behaviour

Photo by birdimage
Oostvaardersplassen, Almere, Netherlands December 2008

[edit] Flight

Hunts harrier-like low over the ground with frequent interludes of hovering. Glides with wings markedly angled at carpal joint.

[edit] Diet

Its diet includes small mammals such as rabbits, voles and lemmings.

[edit] Breeding

Nests on cliff ledges, trees, or even on the ground in high tundra. Two to seven eggs are laid, incubation lasts 28-31 days and after a further 39-45 days, the young fledge.

[edit] Vocalisation

Quite loud cat-like mee-oo.

[edit] References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
2. Birdwatchers Pocket Guide ISBN 1-85732-804-3
3. Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
4. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition

• List of references

[edit] External Links

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