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.

Example Sentences

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 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rough-legged hawk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rough-legged hawk was in 1811

Dictionary Entries Near rough-legged hawk

Cite this Entry

“Rough-legged hawk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough-legged%20hawk. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

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