1 rough-legged buzzard | Definition of rough-legged buzzard

rough-legged hawk

noun
variants: or rough-legged buzzard

Definition of rough-legged hawk

: 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.

First Known Use of rough-legged hawk

1811, in the meaning defined above

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More from Merriam-Webster on rough-legged hawk

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rough-legged hawk