adult

adult underwing upperwing European distribution

Identification

Rough-legged Buzzards are slightly bigger than Common Buzzards with longer, floppier wings and, usually, paler underparts. They also show a greater tendency to hover, with surprising ease. Their most convincing feature, however, is their obvious white tail with a broad dark band at its tip.

Habitat

Nests in trees and on rocky outcrops in upland or Arctic valleys. Winters on open upland moors and marshes.

Behaviour

When searching for prey, Rough-legs will usually hover in a rather clumsy but effective manner. It is much less common for other Buzzards to do this.

Migration

This species migrates to southern and eastern Europe during winter with some birds wintering on the British east coast. Some wintering birds remain in southern Sweden.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Rough-legged Buzzard is classed as Scarce: broadly speaking, species that are covered in British Birds' annual review of scarce species (and forms of similar rarity).

Thorpe Marshes, Norfolk 06/03/2010	Lake Feldberg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany 06/01/2010	Chedgrave Marshes, Norfolk 07/02/2010	Chedgrave Marshes, Norfolk 07/02/2010	Chedgrave Marshes, Norfolk 07/02/2010
Nord-Zealand, Zealand, Denmark 20/02/2009	Underwood, Notts 28/12/2009	Nordsjelland, Denmark 20/02/2009	Nordsjelland, Denmark 20/02/2009	Newbiggin Common, Durham 11/03/2009

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Rough-legged Buzzard breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Finland
Norway
Russia
Sweden

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