The Bird In Hand: the Rough-legged Hawk

To me, North Idaho is as good as it can get as a place to live. Here we get to enjoy four distinct seasons, beautiful natural scenery, and – at least for the present – not too many people. This last point is apparently subject to change. But for now, I can’t think of any better place to live. But I have noticed that more and more of my ‘older’ friends and acquaintances – I put the term in quotes as I’m also a bit long-in-tooth now – are increasingly moving from our area and to regions south. This includes many people who had only moved here fairly recently. Now they’ve up and moved south. Why? Well, the winters can get long….

Bird species can sometimes act similar to the human species, especially when it comes to weather. When the cold weather just becomes a drag, there comes a time when you just got to head out – south, to warmer climes. And for a handful of Arctic and near-Arctic bird species, North Idaho is that warmer place. Compared to the Arctic in January, this place is balmy!

There are a handful or two of northern bird species that you might see hanging out in our area during the frosty months. These birds are known as winter residents and migrate here in the off-season for the same reason summer species head south: to escape the cold and to find a consistent food source. A bird’s gotta eat!

These birds include the Northern Shrike, the American Tree Sparrow, a great many waterfowl and related species, and this month’s featured feathered critter, the Rough-legged hawk, or Rough-leg for short.

Depending on the severity of the winter, these birds may or may not be commonly encountered. This year has apparently decided to be a La Niña year, with warmer than average temperatures. I bet you haven’t noticed that, but a hint might be the too many gray skies and too much rain – one long month of March! Oh well, it’s easier on the heating bill.

So, what does a Rough-leg look like? I knew that you were going to ask, and now it can get a bit complicated. But hang in there, as I have some thoughts that simplify the process. First, the Rough-leg is a big bird. At first glance, you might mistake this big raptor for the more common Red-tailed hawk. The birds share very similar dimensions in length, wingspan, and weight.

Second, to add complexity – like the Northern harrier – the male and female Rough-legs are colored differently. And, there are two color phases for the species, a dark morph and a light morph. I have never seen a dark morph. The Sibley Guide to Birds notes that only 10% of western Rough-legs are dark, meaning 90% are light. Therefore, I’ll focus on the much more common light morph.

I generally encounter the Rough-leg sitting on a perch near open fields. They often use power poles, but they are sometimes in medium-height trees – but always near a pasture, fallow farm land, etc. They are keeping an eye out for rodents. Yum!

The birds will appear brown from a distance. As you get closer, you’ll notice that compared to the Red-tailed hawk the Rough-leg has much more white coloration on its head, chest, and belly. Females are white on the chest and dark below; males reverse this pattern. Don’t get too concerned about these differences, just realize that the Rough-leg is has too much white coloration to be a Red-tailed. And this also becomes apparent when the bird is sighted soaring overhead: the underside of the birds has far more white coloration than the Red-tailed. And notably, the Rough-leg trades the rusty red tail of the Red-tailed hawk with a light-colored tail that has a dark band across its trailing edge.

And like the Golden eagle, the Rough-legged hawk has feathers on the length of its legs. You’ll probably never see this, but that is how the bird gets its name.

Lastly, and for me most importantly, is that when compared to the Red-tailed hawk, the Rough-leg looks like it is missing its beak! Where’s the beak? It is that small. This is probably an adaption to cold weather, as the bird also has relatively undersized feet too. When you see a large hawk with a missing beak, it is probably a Rough-leg! Stop the car, scan the individual with your binoculars, and start taking notes. Then compare your notes to a good birding guide. There, you’ve just identified your first Rough-legged hawk!

A good place to cruise around in search of Rough-legs is the Selle Valley in Bonner County or along the Pend Oreille River in neighboring Pend Oreille County, Washington. The birds will always be near an open space. They’re hunting…always hunting.

Let me know if you spot a Rough-leg and where you saw it. It is always exciting to add a new species to your life list. And while you’re out cruising the byways in search of our bird of the month, be mindful of Northern shrikes sitting on the power lines, over those same open fields. The shrikes are a winter resident too.

Keep in tough and happy birding!

Questions? Comments? Lunch invitations? Mike can be contacted at mturnlund@gmail.com