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
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
Worcester County: The region hosted three sandhill cranes at the Bolton Flats in Bolton, two black vultures in Fitchburg, two more in Blackstone, a single black vulture in Hardwick, and a rough-legged hawk near the Uxbridge Community Garden.
—BostonGlobe.com, 5 Mar. 2022
Franklin County: Observers spotted a rough-legged hawk at the Orange Airport, five black vultures at Turners Falls and three in Deerfield, and a continuing summer tanager at 73 Hadley Road in Sunderland.
—BostonGlobe.com, 12 Feb. 2022
On Plum Island, there were 16 Northern shovelers, eight red-grebes, two rough-legged hawks, and a yellow-breasted chat.
—BostonGlobe.com, 23 Dec. 2019
There was a Northern shoveler at Winsegansett Avenue Marsh in Fairhaven, a rough-legged hawk at Mill Brook Wildlife Management Area in Freetown, and a continuing Eurasian wigeon at Broad Cove in Somerset.
—BostonGlobe.com, 19 Jan. 2020
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
During the 1980s and 1990s, wintering ferruginous and rough-legged hawks were considered fairly common on the plains of Boulder County.
—The Know, 4 Dec. 2019
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Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Feb. 2023
Worcester County: The region hosted three sandhill cranes at the Bolton Flats in Bolton, two black vultures in Fitchburg, two more in Blackstone, a single black vulture in Hardwick, and a rough-legged hawk near the Uxbridge Community Garden.
—BostonGlobe.com, 5 Mar. 2022
Franklin County: Observers spotted a rough-legged hawk at the Orange Airport, five black vultures at Turners Falls and three in Deerfield, and a continuing summer tanager at 73 Hadley Road in Sunderland.
—BostonGlobe.com, 12 Feb. 2022
On Plum Island, there were 16 Northern shovelers, eight red-grebes, two rough-legged hawks, and a yellow-breasted chat.
—BostonGlobe.com, 23 Dec. 2019
There was a Northern shoveler at Winsegansett Avenue Marsh in Fairhaven, a rough-legged hawk at Mill Brook Wildlife Management Area in Freetown, and a continuing Eurasian wigeon at Broad Cove in Somerset.
—BostonGlobe.com, 19 Jan. 2020
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
During the 1980s and 1990s, wintering ferruginous and rough-legged hawks were considered fairly common on the plains of 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 22 May. 2025.
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