In an area renowned for its rare birds and unique biodiversity, one species stood out to me recently: the rough-legged hawk. The name rough-legged hawk derives from the well-feathered legs that aid in keeping the cold at bay, particularly during its frigid breeding season. This beautiful buteo, or soaring hawk, had eluded me up until this winter when, finally, I was able to partake of its splendor right here in our spectacular Sky Islands.
Growing up back east, I knew that this hawk infrequently haunted the grounds of the Philadelphia International Airport during the coldest months. Unfortunately, I was at the other end of the city, often stranded without a vehicle as a teenager, thus precluding any attempts to find this species. Even though I went to school in Montana and have lived and taught in several other northern states, this hawk was always the one that got away.
When I heard through the grapevine that a lone rough-legged hawk was plying the skies over our Sonoita grasslands, I promptly headed with my wife, Claudia, for what I hoped would be my chance to catch up with this slippery species. Initially instead, I wound up speeding past the bird at about 60 m.p.h. while Claudia coolly and correctly identified it as our target hawk. Though I was pleased to have glimpsed the “roughie” it was nothing more than a fleeting image of a perched buteo. Round one begrudgingly to the hawk! A few about-faces later, however, and we were treated to a wide range of views and behaviors.
This hawk breeds in and near tundra, often in cliffs. Our open grasslands with cliff-strewn mountains obviously checked the right habitat boxes for this predator. So too did the weather of the day, which was more reminiscent of our recent foray into Iceland, than of most winter days in southern Arizona.
While wind and rain buffeted us, the hawk casually went about its business – just another day on the quasi-tundra! It perched low on a fence post at first, but apparently soon tired of the occasional road noise. In the blink of an eye it was several miles away, hovering and kiting in the substantial wind.
Roughies are relatives of our familiar Red-tailed Hawk, with proportionately longer wings and tail, allowing it to maneuver more like a Northern Harrier than many of its buteo brethren. Their long, white tail has a distinctive dark terminal band, their bill is small, and their wingspan ranges from 4 – 4.5 feet.
This solitary bird landed on the ground several times, using it as a de-facto perch – as it must often be required to do in treeless tundra. Though coming up empty in terms of quarry, I could see how this large hawk might suddenly pounce upon unsuspecting small prey. While their talons are rather diminutive for their size, apparently this is no deterrent to dispatching small mammals, the mainstay of its diet. Small feet may help to minimize heat loss. Up north, lemmings and voles fill the dietary bill nicely, while a wide range of rodents, including ground squirrels, as well as cottontails and other lagomorphs are suitable prey in our area. Carrion is sometimes eaten, particularly on the wintering grounds.
The cyclic populations of lemmings and other arctic prey helps to account for the corresponding oscillating numbers of rough-legged hawks from year to year. This makes it rather difficult to assess numerical trends for the species, but it seems to be holding its own in a world where many species are not.
Still, global warming is likely to bring a veil of uncertainty over this and many other species – perhaps in particular those that breed in the Arctic.
My only thoughts, however, when I at last was able to view this special raptor, were of gratitude, over both its sheer magnificence and our spectacular Sky Islands biodiversity.
Vincent Pinto and his wife, Claudia, run RAVENS-WAY WILD JOURNEYS, their Nature Adventure & Conservation organization devoted to protecting the unique biodiversity of the Sky Islands region. Visit: www.ravensnatureschool.org