Rough-legged Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk

Buteo lagopus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Minsk

In 3 days <5%

7 Verified sightings at Minsk
551 In all 13 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Rough-legged Hawk

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.

This fairly large raptorial species is 46–68 cm (18–27 in) with wingspan ranging from 120 to 153 cm (47 to 60 in). Individuals can weigh from 600 to 1,660 g (1.32 to 3.66 lb) with females typically being larger and heavier than males. Weights appear to increase from summer to winter in adults, going from an average of 822 to 1,027 g (1.812 to 2.264 lb) in males and from 1,080 to 1,278 g (2.381 to 2.818 lb) in females. Among the members of the genus Buteo, it... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Alarm call0:24

Sweden · 2022

© Lars Edenius · XC747268 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call1:26

Norway · 2022

© Stein Ø. Nilsen · XC732526 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:29

United States · 2021

© Thomas G. Graves · XC691202 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
3 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
4 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
6 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
7 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
8 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
9 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
11 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
12 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Novosibirsk 🇷🇺 Russia
~10%
2 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
<5%
3 Yekaterinburg 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%
4 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
5 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
<5%
6 Minsk 🇧🇾 Belarus
<5%
7 Seoul 🇰🇷 South Korea
<5%
8 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
10 Copenhagen 🇩🇰 Denmark
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Ecomuseum Zoo 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
2 Calgary Zoo 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
3 Zoopark Limpopo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
4 Trailside Museum & Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
6 Carolina Raptor Center 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
7 Chouette à voir! 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
8 Ogród Zoologiczny w Katowicach 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity
9 Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Rough-legged Hawk in Minsk?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rough-legged Hawk sighting in Minsk on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 130th most-seen of the 146 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Rough-legged Hawk in Minsk?

August

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rough-legged Hawk in Minsk on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Rough-legged Hawk?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rough-legged Hawk sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Minsk the best place to see a Rough-legged Hawk?

6th of 23

Of the 23 cities where we can rate Rough-legged Hawk sightings, Minsk ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Novosibirsk (Russia, about 10%), Kyiv (Ukraine, under 5%) and Yekaterinburg (Russia, under 5%).

Where does the Rough-legged Hawk sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Rough-legged Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Minsk (7 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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