Courtesy US FWS
Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Illustrator
Buteo lagopus
Courtesy US FWS
Young Rough-legged Hawk with black belly and lighter head
Courtesy US FWS, Tom Koerner, Photographer
Rough-legged Hawk on Power Pole
Courtesy US FWS
John and Karen Hollingsworth, PhotographersAdditionally, enough snow- 6 inches or more, offers excellent insulation from extreme low temperatures. This subnivean (below the snow) world is alive with activity from those who don’t have the luxury of hibernating in a burrow beneath the ground. The aerial predators, and members of the canid and feline families, would agree with those who wish for a snow-free valley – easy pickings!
A most a spectacular avian winter visitor, the rough legged hawk, spend their breeding season in the far north- Canada and Alaska. With the loss of our Swainson hawks that spend their winters in Argentina, it does the heart good to see their replacement rough legs move in.
The Rough-legged Hawk spends the summer capturing lemmings on the arctic tundra, tending a cliffside nest under a sun that never sets. Found globally across northern latitudes, it occurs in both light and dark forms.
The name "Rough-legged" refers to the feathered legs. Joining them are the Ferruginous Hawk and the Golden Eagle, the only American raptors to have legs feathered all the way to the toes.
“These hawks may take an occasional small bird or two when the opportunity presents itself. But small mammals and birds aren’t the only source of food for these beautiful arctic raptors. Rough-legged hawks will scavenge and feed on leftover duck carcasses if and when the need arises, especially when rodents are scarce.
Rough-legged hawks aren’t really adept at capturing live ducks, especially on the wing, but they will scavenge waterfowl carcasses during the sometimes very cold and brutal winters here in Utah.” From the “Bear River Blogger”, which I highly recommend.
Rough-legged Hawks have been shown to hunt more in areas experimentally treated with vole urine than in control areas. They may be able to see this waste (as American Kestrels can), which is visible in ultraviolet light, in order to find patches of abundant Prey.
Despite a strong affinity for rodents, Rough-legged Hawks were perceived as a threat to poultry up until the early 20th century. Being approachable birds that spend their time in open spaces, they were vulnerable to hunting by farmers. It’s now illegal to shoot raptors and most other wild birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Thus, I’m expecting to encounter some of these glorious raptors who will be taking advantage of our snow-barren fields laced with rodent urine, as I saunter through them during our Christmas Bird Count this Saturday.
This is Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society, and Wild About Utah and it’s Wild Roughlegs!!
Credits:
- Images: Courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service, All noted with links below:
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Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Illustrator: https://www.fws.gov/media/rough-legged-hawk-1
https://www.fws.gov/media/rough-legged-hawk-0
Tom Koerner, Photographer, https://www.fws.gov/media/rough-legged-hawk-soaring
John and Karen Hollingsworth, Photographers, https://www.fws.gov/media/rough-legged-hawk-power-lines
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright Shalayne Smith-Needham, https://upr.org/,
Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections and
J. Chase and K.W. Baldwin.
Text & Voice: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading Links: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading:
Wild About Utah Pieces by Jack Greene, https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/
Rough-legged Hawks Are Scavengers, Too., BearRIverBlogger, October 13, 2023, https://bearriverblogger.com/rough-legged-hawks-are-scavengers-too/
Rough-legged Hawk, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rough-legged_Hawk/id
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, https://www.fws.gov/law/migratory-bird-treaty-act-1918
