Winter Raptors: The Rough-legged Hawk Pays A Visit

Sometimes, a photo doesn't have to be good; it just has to be good enough to make a positive identification.  Such was the case with the Rough-legged Hawk encountered a few days ago on the grasslands east of Le Grand.


The Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) is a species that makes me feel awed and humbled in its presence.  It breeds high in the Arctic, then travels thousands of miles to overwinter across much of the United States.  Much like my experiences with Tundra Swans, Surfbirds and Sanderlings, I am utterly amazed that this great traveler deigns to spend its winters in California's lowly grasslands and foothills.  It is incredible to think that this grand bird in front of me hatched and fledged on a remote and rugged Arctic cliffside, and eventually found its way to the prairielands bordering our own less-than-spectacular Central Valley.  This is wild America, folks, just beyond our doorsteps.  That is why I am okay with sub-par photographs: just seeing one of these magnificent birds in the wild is a real treat.

Compared to the common and familiar Red-tailed Hawk's head-to-tail body length of 19 inches and wingspan of 50 inches, Rough-legged Hawks are a little bigger, with an average length of 21 inches and wingspan of 53 inches (that's almost four-and-a-half feet!).  The individual bird in these photos is an example of the darker color morph; typically, Rough-legged Hawks show more pale coloring on their heads.


In the Arctic, Rough-legged Hawks nests on cliffs and rocky outcroppings in treeless tundra, alpine regions and boreal forests, feeding on small rodents, like lemmings and voles, as well as birds such as ptarmigan.  Winter is spent feeding on the rodents of open country, spending the cold months in prairies, fields, marshes, semi-deserts and shrublands across the western, central, and eastern United States.

Even in this poor photo, note the small bill and little feet, characteristic of the Rough-legged Hawk.

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