---
title: "Ruigpootbuizerd"
description: "Buteo lagopus — Vogels. The rough-legged buzzard (Europe) or rough-legged hawk (North America) (Buteo lagopus) is a medium-large bird of prey."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/rough-legged-hawk
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Ruigpootbuizerd

> Buteo lagopus — Vogels. The rough-legged buzzard (Europe) or rough-legged hawk (North America) (Buteo lagopus) is a medium-large bird of prey.

- Scientific name: *Buteo lagopus*
- Category: `birds` (Vogels)
- Habitats: `arctic` (Poolgebied)
- iNaturalist observations: 22538
- Wikidata: [Q26407](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q26407)
- iNaturalist taxon: [5200](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/5200)

## Names

- en: Rough-legged Hawk
- de: Raufußbussard
- es: Aguililla ártica
- fr: Buse pattue
- nl: Ruigpootbuizerd
- pt: Bútio-patudo
- pl: Myszołów włochaty

## Countries with the most observations

RU (7852), US (7103), CA (4162), UA (396), NO (240), DK (170), DE (140), SE (133), FI (130), PL (99), BY (75), CN (72)

## Summary

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.…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rough-legged_buzzard

## Photo

![Ruigpootbuizerd](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/rough-legged-hawk/medium.jpg)

Photo: Kent P. McFarland · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35751522

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/rough-legged-hawk?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).