{"id":3677,"date":"2011-11-13T18:52:45","date_gmt":"2011-11-14T01:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=3677"},"modified":"2025-09-29T06:09:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T11:09:22","slug":"rough-legged-hawks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/11\/13\/rough-legged-hawks\/","title":{"rendered":"Rough-legged Hawks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rough-legged Rough-legged Hawk perched on a large Tintic Quartzite boulder \u00a0– Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Eureka! The Rough-legged Hawks are back from their high subarctic and Arctic breeding grounds and they seem to be showing up in larger numbers than I have seen them since I moved to Utah.<\/p>\n

I have had few opportunities to photograph this handsome raptor and I am hoping to have more chances to do so this winter.<\/p>\n

Rough-legged Hawks are thought to be nomadic in that they move about in response to the availability of prey.<\/p>\n

Rough-legged Hawks are one of only two species of hawks in North America that have feathers down to their feet, Ferruginous Hawks also have feathered legs.<\/p>\n

Rough-legged Hawks have small bills, small feet and short broad heads. Their plumage coloration is widely variable from very dark to pale creamy tones. The dark morph is less common here in the west with only about 10% of the population having the darker plumage.<\/p>\n

Two years ago I spotted a dark morph Rough-legged Hawk in northern Utah but it was too far away to get decent images of, that figures, right? All I got was ID shots.<\/p>\n

Now, if only I can get good light and plenty of Rough-legged Hawks<\/span><\/a> while they are here this winter.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Rough-legged Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

PS, the meaning of\u00a0lagopus<\/em> is derived from ancient Greek,\u00a0is “hare-footed”, a very fitting description of the legs of this hawk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eureka! The Rough-legged Hawks are back from their high subarctic and Arctic breeding grounds and they seem to be showing up in larger numbers than I have seen them since I moved to Utah. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":158426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,1022,1087,26],"tags":[970,215,2663,4275,2497,11978,4620,1089,4033,4169,4067,2670,4104,153,1648,4193],"class_list":["post-3677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-davis-county-utah","category-rough-legged-hawks","category-utah","tag-autumn","tag-bird-id","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-buteo-lagopus","tag-buteos","tag-desert-island","tag-fall","tag-hare-footed","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-immature","tag-light-morph","tag-perched","tag-raptors","tag-rough-legged-hawk","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-mia-mcpherson-7996.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-Xj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12319,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/12\/27\/rough-legged-hawk-lifting-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":3677,"position":0},"title":"Rough-legged Hawk lifting off","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 27, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Rough-legged Hawks are among my favorites of the raptors that over winter in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah because I only see them at this time of the year while they wait to head back to the subarctic and Arctic to breed.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rough-legged Hawk lifting off from a kestrel nest box at Farmington Bay, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rough-legged-hawk-lift-off-mia-mcpherson-5774.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rough-legged-hawk-lift-off-mia-mcpherson-5774.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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provided me with as many opportunities to photograph Rough-legged Hawks as last winter did and before long these raptors will be heading to the high Arctic to find mates on their breeding grounds.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"High Key Rough-legged Hawk lift off from sign, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-high-key-mia-mcpherson-1661.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-high-key-mia-mcpherson-1661.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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