rough-legged hawk
noun
variants
or rough-legged buzzard
: a large circumpolar arctic hawk (Buteo lagopus) that winters southward and typically has a white tail with a wide black band or bands at the tip
Note: Rough-legged hawks hover in the air on beating wings to search tundra, marshes, and fields for rodents to prey on.
Examples of rough-legged hawk in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Moose browse along the Colville River, the largest river on the North Slope, while peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons and rough-legged hawks nest on the cliffs above.
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Mariah Meek, The Conversation, 30 June 2025
Four black vultures in Deerfield, a Barrow’s goldeneye at at the Barton Cove campground, a rough-legged hawk and 40 snow buntings in Montague and 28 rusty blackbirds in Sunderland.
—Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Feb. 2023
At noon, a rough-legged hawk flew in and roosted on a high snag about 50 yards away, seemingly content to soak up the solar warmth.
—Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2020
Heavy October and November snows, along with frigid temperatures in the Northern Plains, have contributed to a modest influx of ferruginous and rough-legged hawks into Boulder County.
—The Know, 4 Dec. 2019
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Mariah Meek, The Conversation, 30 June 2025
Four black vultures in Deerfield, a Barrow’s goldeneye at at the Barton Cove campground, a rough-legged hawk and 40 snow buntings in Montague and 28 rusty blackbirds in Sunderland.
—Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Feb. 2023
At noon, a rough-legged hawk flew in and roosted on a high snag about 50 yards away, seemingly content to soak up the solar warmth.
—Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2020
Heavy October and November snows, along with frigid temperatures in the Northern Plains, have contributed to a modest influx of ferruginous and rough-legged hawks into Boulder County.
—The Know, 4 Dec. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Rough-legged hawk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough-legged%20hawk. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
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