Rough-legged buzzard
Buteo lagopus (Pontoppidan, 1763)
The rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus) is a species in the family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes. Recorded adults weigh 824.6 g to 1.03 kg. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the rough-legged buzzard
- Weight
- 824.6 g – 1.03 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 1.35 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the rough-legged buzzard?
Photos of the rough-legged buzzard
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the rough-legged buzzard live?
Not recorded
What is the rough-legged buzzard?
The rough-legged buzzard (Europe) or rough-legged hawk (North America) (Buteo lagopus) is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in arctic and subarctic regions of North America, Europe, and Asia during the breeding season, and migrates south for the winter. Historically, it was also known as "rough-legged falcon" in such works as John James Audubon's The Birds of America.
Nests are typically located on cliffs, bluffs or in trees. The clutch sizes are variable with food availability, but usually three to five eggs are laid. They hunt over open land, feeding primarily on small mammals, mainly lemmings and voles. Along with the kestrels, kites, and osprey, this is one of the few birds of prey to hover regularly.
From the Wikipedia article “Rough-legged buzzard” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rough-legged_buzzard&oldid=1380703367), 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 rough-legged buzzard endangered?
The rough-legged buzzard is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the rough-legged buzzard classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAccipitriformes
- familyAccipitridae
- genusButeo
- SpeciesButeo lagopus (Pontoppidan, 1763)
Synonyms Archibuteo lagopus, Archibuteo lagopus sibirica, Archibuteo pallidus, Buteo pennipes, Buteo plumipes, Cerchne pennipes, Falco lagopus, Falco manicatus, Falco plumipes
Other names and names in other languages (97)
- Mouse hawkEnglish
- Rough-legEnglish
- Rough-legged hawkEnglish
- RoughlegEnglish
- Squalling hawkEnglish
- Winter hawkEnglish
- حوام مسرولArabic
- حوام مسروَلArabic
- buzacuAsturian
- bruzacuAsturian
- burzacuAsturian
- guzapuAsturian
- Pardón NortieguAsturian
- Tüklüayaq sarAzerbaijani
- Канюк касматаногіBelarusian
- Касматаногі канюхBelarusian
- Касматаногi канюкBelarusian
- Северен мишеловBulgarian
- Baou an toundraBreton
- aligot calçatCatalan
- Кого шӓлӓнгӹMari
- Тӗк ураллӑ шаланкӑChuvash
- káně rousnáCzech
- Bod bacsiogWelsh
- boda bacsiogWelsh
- Bodaod BacsiogWelsh
- fjeldvågeDanish
- Fjeldvåge Låddenbenet musvågeDanish
- RaufußbussardGerman
- Raufuß-BussardGerman
- RauhfußbussardGerman
- ΧιονογερακίναGreek
- vilkrura buteoEsperanto
- Busardo calzadoSpanish
- Aguililla árticaSpanish
- Ratonero calzadoSpanish
- taliviuEstonian
- karvasjalg-viuEstonian
- karvasjalg-viu e. taliviuEstonian
- Zapelatz galtzadunaBasque
- سارگپه پرپاPersian
- piekanaFinnish
- FjallavákurFaroese
- Buse pattueFrench
- Rüchfutet müsensiifNorthern Frisian
- Bleidir molachScottish Gaelic
- Bleidir tònachScottish Gaelic
- Clamhán lópachScottish Gaelic
- Miñato calzadoGalician
- Shirragh mollaghManx
- עקב מכנסייםHebrew
- עקב שעיר רגלHebrew
- škanjac gaćašCroatian
- gatyás ölyvHungarian
- Ճուռակ թավշաոտArmenian
- KahyookInuktitut
- FjallvákurIcelandic
- Poiana calzataItalian
- ケアシノスリJapanese
- ფეხბანჯგვლიანი კაკაჩაGeorgian
- Айнақанат тілемішKazakh
- 털발말똥가리Korean
- Bargos gar arowCornish
- Nordesche BussarLuxembourgish
- Gestiwwelte BussarLuxembourgish
- tūbuotasis suopisLithuanian
- bikšainais klijānsLatvian
- гаќест глувчарMacedonian
- Kuċċarda tal-KalzettiMaltese
- Тарлан сарMongolian
- fjellvåkNorwegian Bokmål
- ruigpootbuizerdDutch
- Makade-gekek (Mishigekek)Ojibwa
- myszołów włochatyPolish
- Búteo-calçadoPortuguese
- bútio-calçadoPortuguese
- Girun pe pailusRomansh
- şorecar încălţatRomanian
- Șorecar încălțatRomanian
- Мохноногий канюкRussian
- или мохноногий канюкRussian
- Үрүҥ сарYakut
- BoaimmášNorthern Sami
- biekkanNorthern Sami
- myšiak severskýSlovak
- koconoga kanjaSlovenian
- huta me kalcaAlbanian
- Gaćasti mišarSerbian
- Gacasti mišar - Гаћасти мишарSerbian
- fjällvråkSwedish
- pacali sahinTurkish
- pacalı şahinTurkish
- Paçalı ŞahinTurkish
- Кыштаар сарыTuvinian
- ЗимнякUkrainian
- 毛脚鵟Chinese
- 毛足鵟Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the rough-legged buzzard
Other species in the same genus Buteo.
Common buzzard
Buteo buteo
Long-legged buzzard
Buteo rufinus
Macaw
Buteo jamaicensis
Upland buzzard
Buteo hemilasius
Galapagos hawk
Buteo galapagoensis
Hen hawk
Buteo lineatus
CompareRough-legged buzzard vs Common buzzardRough-legged buzzard vs Long-legged buzzardRough-legged buzzard vs MacawRough-legged buzzard vs Upland buzzard
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the rough-legged buzzard?
An adult rough-legged buzzard weighs 824.6 g – 1.03 kg and has a wingspan of 1.35 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the rough-legged buzzard endangered?
The rough-legged buzzard is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the rough-legged buzzard?
The rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus) 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.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/rough-legged-buzzard
“Rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/rough-legged-buzzard.
@misc{rough_legged_buzzard_2026,
title = {Rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/rough-legged-buzzard},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}