Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Rough-legged Hawk

Buteo lagopus

(Pontoppidan, 1763)

Rough-legged Hawk

G5Secure Found in 57 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105206
Element CodeABNKC19130
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
CITESAppendix II
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderAccipitriformes
FamilyAccipitridae
GenusButeo
Other Common Names
Aguililla Ártica (ES) Buse pattue (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-06
Change Date1996-11-22
Range Extent Comments
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).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Nonbreeding: grasslands, field, marshes, sagebrush flats, and open cultivated areas; sometimes rat-infested garbage dumps. Nests on cliffs (typically) or in trees in arctic and subarctic, in tundra, mountain sides, forests with plenty of open ground. Sometimes nests on the ground or on man-made structures. Apparently nests more commonly along coasts and on marine islands. May compete for nest sites with raven, peregrine falcon, and gyrfalcon (latter two often use nests built by rough-legged hawk). May use same nest in successive years.

Ecology

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).

Reproduction

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.
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - ConiferSavannaGrassland/herbaceousDesertTundraCliffCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
New HampshireSNAYes
MarylandS2NYes
ColoradoS5NYes
ConnecticutSNAYes
AlabamaS3NYes
WashingtonS4NYes
MinnesotaSNRNYes
IllinoisSNAYes
WyomingS5NYes
TennesseeS3NYes
MissouriSNRNYes
New YorkSNRNYes
New JerseyS4NYes
KansasS4NYes
West VirginiaS3NYes
OregonS4NYes
MassachusettsS3NYes
North DakotaSNRNYes
District of ColumbiaS1NYes
ArkansasSNAYes
WisconsinS3NYes
TexasS3NYes
IdahoS4NYes
IndianaSNAYes
OklahomaSNRNYes
MichiganSNRNYes
GeorgiaS3Yes
DelawareS1NYes
Navajo NationS3NYes
North CarolinaSNAYes
PennsylvaniaS4NYes
New MexicoS4NYes
MaineS2NYes
AlaskaS4BYes
NebraskaSNRNYes
VirginiaS1NYes
CaliforniaSNRNYes
OhioSNRNYes
NevadaS4NYes
UtahS3Yes
IowaS5NYes
ArizonaSNRNYes
VermontS4NYes
South DakotaS4NYes
MontanaS5NYes
CanadaN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
ManitobaS2B,S4MYes
New BrunswickS4NYes
Northwest TerritoriesS4Yes
NunavutS5BYes
Island of NewfoundlandS2Yes
LabradorS4B,SUMYes
Nova ScotiaS3NYes
AlbertaS5N,SNRMYes
OntarioS1B,S4NYes
British ColumbiaS3NYes
SaskatchewanS4NYes
QuebecS3BYes
Yukon TerritoryS3BYes
Prince Edward IslandS2NYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)

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Roadless Areas (57)
Arizona (1)
AreaForestAcres
Burro CanyonKaibab National Forest19,928
California (2)
AreaForestAcres
Glass MountainInyo National Forest52,867
Wheeler RidgeInyo National Forest15,744
Colorado (1)
AreaForestAcres
Dome PeakRoutt NF35,716
Idaho (3)
AreaForestAcres
HoodooNez Perce-Clearwater National Forest153,868
Italian PeakCaribou-Targhee National Forest141,158
PalisadesCaribou-Targhee National Forest122,002
Minnesota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Phantom LakeSuperior National Forest6,521
Montana (21)
AreaForestAcres
Allan Mountain (01946)Bitterroot National Forest104,184
Anaconda HillHelena National Forest18,546
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLewis and Clark National Forest344,022
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanHelena National Forest51,360
Big Snowy Mountains WsaLewis and Clark National Forest88,003
Bmss Ra 1485Flathead National Forest334,275
BridgerGallatin National Forest45,059
East PioneerBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest145,082
Gallatin FringeGallatin National Forest51,571
Hyalite - Porcupine - Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study AreaGallatin National Forest143,991
Italian PeakBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest90,401
MadisonGallatin National Forest127,859
Marston Face # 172Kootenai National Forest9,098
North AbsarokaGallatin National Forest159,075
North AbsarokaCuster National Forest21,063
North Big HoleBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest52,227
SapphiresBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest66,619
Selway - Bitterroot (01067)Bitterroot National Forest114,953
Silver KingBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest64,289
West Big HoleBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest133,563
Nevada (5)
AreaForestAcres
Jobs Peak (NV)Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest1,342
Moriah - Silver CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest1,582
Rose - EvansHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,782
Rose - Whites CanyonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest2,568
South SchellHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest125,614
Oregon (5)
AreaForestAcres
HellholeUmatilla National Forest65,679
Hurricane CreekWallowa-Whitman National Forest1,606
Joseph CanyonWallowa-Whitman National Forest24,288
Sky Lakes AWinema National Forest3,940
Twin MountainWallowa-Whitman National Forest58,533
Utah (4)
AreaForestAcres
Lava BedsDixie National Forest14,944
Little CreekFishlake National Forest11,479
Stansbury MountainsWasatch-Cache National Forest39,696
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Garden MountainJefferson National Forest3,960
Hunting Camp Little Wolf CreekJefferson National Forest8,953
Washington (2)
AreaForestAcres
ChelanWenatchee National Forest74,650
Hungry RidgeOkanogan National Forest8,708
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Dolly Sods Roaring PlainMonongahela National Forest13,392
Wyoming (9)
AreaForestAcres
Cloud Peak ContiguousBighorn National Forest113,757
Grommund CreekBighorn National Forest12,089
Gros Ventre MountainsBridger-Teton National Forest106,418
PalisadesTarghee National Forest1,121
Rock CreekBighorn National Forest48,657
Salt River RangeBridger-Teton National Forest235,661
South ForkShoshone National Forest64,903
West Slope TetonsTarghee National Forest47,448
West Slope WindsBridger-Teton National Forest143,252
References (36)
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