The Rough-legged Hawk is truly a hawk of the far north, with its breeding range largelyrestricted to arctic tundra and taiga habitats. In open tundra, this species typically places nests onsteep outcroppings and cliff faces. Rough-legged Hawks rely on a diet of small mammals(mostly lemmings, voles) although a variety of birds are also eaten (Bechard and Swem 2002).On the coastal plain of Alaska they typically forage in open tundra and low-brush habitats (e.g.river floodplains) (Bechard and Swem 2002). Rough-legged Hawks spend their winters insouthern Canada and throughout the lower 48 (Bechard and Swem 2002). The current globalpopulation is estimated at > 4 million (Rich et al. 2004).
