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.

Examples of rough-legged hawk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 Moose browse along the Colville River, the largest river on the North Slope, while peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons and rough-legged hawks nest on the cliffs above. — Mariah Meek, The Conversation, 30 June 2025 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 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

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined above

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

Rhymes for rough-legged hawk

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Browse Nearby Words

roughleg
rough-legged hawk
rough lemon
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rough-legged hawk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough-legged%20hawk. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rough-legged hawk

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rough-legged hawk

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