CreatureData

Ferruginous hawk

Buteo regalis (G. R. Gray, 1844)

LCLeast Concernbirds of prey

The ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis) is a species in the family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes. Recorded adults weigh 1.16 kg to 1.78 kg and live up to 20 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis)
Photo: ALAN SCHMIERER · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the ferruginous hawk

Weight
1.16 kg – 1.78 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
1.34 m – 1.52 msrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
20 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
23.7 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
33.3 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3.75src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the ferruginous hawk?

FERRUGINOUS HAWK · WINGSPAN 1.52 MADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 1.52 m, the recorded maximum wingspan of the ferruginous hawk is close to the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the ferruginous hawk live?

Not recorded

What is the ferruginous hawk?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis) is a large bird of prey and belongs to the broad-winged buteo hawks. An old colloquial name is ferrugineous rough-leg, due to its similarity to the closely related rough-legged hawk (B. lagopus).

The generic name buteo is Latin for 'buzzard'. The specific epithet regalis is Latin for 'royal' (from rex, regis, 'king'). The common name 'ferruginous' means 'rust-colored' or 'reddish-brown'.

This species is a large, broad-winged hawk of the open, arid grasslands, prairie and bush steppe country; it is endemic to the interior parts of North America. It is used as a falconry bird in its native ranges.

From the Wikipedia article “Ferruginous hawk” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ferruginous_hawk&oldid=1381024768), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the ferruginous hawk endangered?

The ferruginous hawk is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the ferruginous hawk classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderAccipitriformes
  5. familyAccipitridae
  6. genusButeo
  7. SpeciesButeo regalis (G. R. Gray, 1844)

Synonyms Archibuteo ferrugineus, Archibuteo regalis, Falco ferrugineus

Other names and names in other languages (39)
  • Ferruginous rough-legEnglish
  • Ръждивокафяв мишеловBulgarian
  • aligot rovellatCatalan
  • káně královskáCzech
  • bwncath cefnwinauWelsh
  • KongevågeDanish
  • KönigsbussardGerman
  • reĝa buteoEsperanto
  • Aguililla realSpanish
  • Busardo herrumbrosoSpanish
  • kuningviuEstonian
  • قوش آهنیرنگPersian
  • kuningashiirihaukkaFinnish
  • Buse rouilleuseFrench
  • עקב פרוגינוסHebrew
  • sivorepi škanjacCroatian
  • királyölyvHungarian
  • Poiana tabaccataItalian
  • poiana ferruginosaItalian
  • アカケアシノスリJapanese
  • karališkasis suopisLithuanian
  • karaliskais klijānsLatvian
  • GinítsohNavajo
  • Rosse RuigpootbuizerdDutch
  • kongevåkNorwegian
  • myszołów królewskiPolish
  • Gavião-ferrugemPortuguese
  • bútio-ferrugíneoPortuguese
  • bútio-ferruginosoPortuguese
  • gavião-ferruginosoPortuguese
  • Королевский канюкRussian
  • myšiak bielochvostýSlovak
  • Američki riđi mišarSerbian
  • kungsvråkSwedish
  • Paslı şahinTurkish
  • Kızılca Paçalı ŞahinTurkish
  • канюк королівськийUkrainian
  • 王鵟Chinese
  • 锈色鵟Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the ferruginous hawk

Other species in the same genus Buteo.

CompareFerruginous hawk vs Common buzzardFerruginous hawk vs Rough-legged buzzardFerruginous hawk vs Long-legged buzzardFerruginous hawk vs Red-tailed hawk

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the ferruginous hawk?

An adult ferruginous hawk weighs 1.16 kg – 1.78 kg and has a wingspan of 1.34 m – 1.52 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the ferruginous hawk endangered?

The ferruginous hawk is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the ferruginous hawk live?

The ferruginous hawk has a recorded lifespan of 20 years.

What kind of animal is the ferruginous hawk?

The ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis) belongs to the family Accipitridae in the order Accipitriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/ferruginous-hawk

MLA

“Ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/ferruginous-hawk.

BibTeX
@misc{ferruginous_hawk_2026,
  title = {Ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/ferruginous-hawk},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}