Rough-legged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk has no long-term trend on record.
About the Rough-legged Hawk
The Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) is a North American member of the Hawks, Eagles & Kites (Accipitridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the birds of prey.
- Size
- 17.5–39.5 in long (45–100 cm) — a medium to large raptor (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open country, woodlands, cliffs and wetlands, hunting from the air or a high perch.
- Diet
- Live prey — small mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and large insects (carrion for vultures).
- Range
- Recorded on 26 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 1 state, most concentrated in the BCR 4.
- Family
- Accipitridae · Birds of prey
Notable Rough-legged Hawk Trends
No notable trend signals for Rough-legged Hawk. See the full index history below.
Rough-legged Hawk Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Rough-legged Hawk is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.00 (95% range 0.00–0.00). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±84.9%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2027 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2028 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2029 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Where the Rough-legged Hawk Is Detected
BBS routes recording Rough-legged Hawk, sized by most recent count.
Rough-legged Hawk Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +121% | 1991 | 26 |
Rough-legged Hawk Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | -26% | 1993 | 9 |
| BCR 3 | +67% | 1995 | 3 |
| BCR 4 | -4% | 1993 | 14 |
Rough-legged Hawk Conservation Status
Rough-legged Hawk is tracked across BBS survey routes; no formal conservation-status flag is recorded here.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.