NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Rough-legged Buzzard
Buteo lagopus (Pontoppidan, 1763)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The rough-legged buzzard (Europe) or rough-legged hawk (North America) (Buteo lagopus) is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in arctic and subarctic regions of North America, Europe, and Asia during the breeding season, and migrates south for the winter. Historically, it was also known as "rough-legged falcon" in such works as John James Audubon's The Birds of America.
Nests are typically located on cliffs, bluffs or in trees. The clutch sizes are variable with food availability, but usually three to five eggs are laid. They hunt over open land, feeding primarily on small mammals, mainly lemmings and voles. Along with the kestrels, kites, and osprey, this is one of the few birds of prey to hover regularly.
Wikipedia contributors, Rough-legged buzzard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:44:49.336462+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Buteo lagopus (Pontoppidan, 1763)
- Name authority
- (Pontoppidan, 1763)
- Common name
- Rough-legged Buzzard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Buteo
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAccipitriformes
- familyAccipitridae Vigors, 1824
- genusButeo Lacépède, 1799
- speciesButeo lagopus (Pontoppidan, 1763)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Buteo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Forest BuzzardButeo trizonatus Rudebeck, 1957 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-throated HawkButeo albigula Philippi, 1899 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Zone-tailed HawkButeo albonotatus Kaup, 1847 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Himalayan BuzzardButeo refectus Portenko, 1935 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Augur BuzzardButeo augur (Rüppell, 1836) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-necked BuzzardButeo auguralis Salvadori, 1866 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common BuzzardButeo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Galapagos HawkButeo galapagoensis (Gould, 1837) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Upland BuzzardButeo hemilasius Temminck & Schlegel, 1845 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ferruginous HawkButeo regalis (G. R. Gray, 1844) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Socotra BuzzardButeo socotraensis Porter & Kirwan, 2010 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Falco lagopus Pontoppidan, 1763 Pontoppidan, 1763 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175373 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:NYVC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.