Rough-Legged Buzzard
Buteo lagopus
Also known as: Rough-Legged Hawk, Roughleg
Habitat
Ground
Diet
VertFishScav
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
950 g
About This Species
Watch for a pale, heavily feathered-legged buzzard hunting over open tundra, moorland, and farmland, often hovering on flickering wingbeats in a way that distinguishes it from resident buzzard species. It favours rodent-rich open country and is most visible in winter when birds move south from Arctic breeding grounds to hunt over fields and marshes. Scan fence posts and isolated trees at the edges of open ground, where it perches to watch for voles and lemmings.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep at least 100 metres away from any perched or hunting bird, and much further from a nest site, since raptors are easily flushed and repeated disturbance can cause them to abandon a hunting area or breeding attempt.
- Birds of prey and their nests are protected by law across most of its range, including the UK, EU member states, and North America, though the specific statutes and penalties differ by country.
- Watch from a vehicle or hide where possible and avoid lingering near any suspected nest site during the breeding season.
LCAvesAccipitriformesAccipitridae
Seasonal Activity
1,141,185 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
Traits
- Diet
- VertFishScav
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 950 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.