Ferruginous Hawk

Ferruginous Hawk, dark morph adult; Kern Co., CA

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Ferruginous Hawk, light morph adult; central Montana, July.

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A raptor of the open country of the West, the Ferruginous Hawk is the largest American hawk.

Description

Large hawk. Wings long and broad. Large head with a wide gape. Tail white or light gray. In light form, head mostly white, back and shoulders rufous, pale patch in ends of wings, underparts mostly white, legs rufous, making a dark V visible from below. Dark morph entirely dark brown, with light gray or whitish tail, and light area near end of wings. Legs feathered to the toes.

• Size: 56-69 cm (22-27 in)
• Wingspan: 133-142 cm (52-56 in)
• Weight: 977-2074 g (34.49-73.21 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, but female larger and tending to have more dark markings on legs and belly.

Sound

Call scratchy "kree-a."

Conservation Status

Considered threatened in several states.

Other Names

Buse rouileuse (French)
Aquililla patas asperas (Spanish)
Ferruginous Rough-leg (English)

Cool Facts

• Before the elimination of bison in the West, nests of the Ferruginous Hawk were often partially constructed of bison bones and wool.

• The Rough-legged Hawk, the Ferruginous Hawk, and the Golden Eagle are the only American hawks to have legs feathered all the way to the toes.

Sources used to construct this page:

Bechard, M. J., and J. K. Schmutz. 1995. Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis). In The Birds of North America, No. 172 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists? Union, Washington, D.C.