Rough-Legged Hawk

• Size: 18-23" long // 52-54" wingspan
• Diet: arctic ground squirrels, young hares, pocket gophers - and birds such as ptarmigan and Lapland Longspurs
• Seasonal Habits: Migrate in winter
• Temperament: Aggressive when you near their nest

The Rough-legged Hawk spends the summer capturing lemmings on the arctic tundra, tending a cliffside nest under a sun that never sets. Winter is the time to see this large, open-country hawk in southern Canada and the U.S., where it may be perched on a pole or hovering over a marsh or pasture on the hunt for small rodents. Found globally across northern latitudes, this species occurs in both light and dark forms.