Rough-legged Buzzard

Buteo lagopus (Pontoppidan, 1763)

Rough-legged Buzzard, Buteo lagopus, breeds across North America and much of the Palearctic. It is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, first described by Pontoppidan in 1763. During the breeding season it occurs in arctic and subarctic parts of North America, Europe and Asia, and it moves south in winter. It is a medium-large raptor, and its nests are usually placed on cliffs, bluffs or in trees. It hunts over open ground and is one of the few birds of prey that hovers regularly.

Order

Accipitriformes

Family

Accipitridae — Kites, Hawks, Eagles

Breeding range

North America, Palearctic: widespread