General Description: Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus) are large hawks with light and dark forms. In either case, look for the long white tail with dark bands near the tip.

In this pale form, note the pale gray head with dark wings and body. The open wings are basically white underneath with a large, dark wrist patch, and the feathers on the legs are reddish with spots. The rump is white like a Northern Harrier.

In the dark form, the birds are mostly black, except for the tail and light wing-linings.

Taxonomy: Accipitriformes, Accipitridae.

Favored Habitat: Tundra and open woodlands in the arctic during the breeding season, and open grasslands during winter.

Where to Find: Around Las Vegas, Rough-legged Hawks are uncommon, look for them during winter in places with open grasslands like the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge and Pahranagat Valley north of there. They migrate through the Las Vegas area, so always keep an eye out for them. These hawks are fairly common in the central valley of California.

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