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Rough-legged Buzzards are medium-sized raptors. Descriptions of their plumage are made difficult by the fact that their appearance is very inhomogeneous, even within each individual race. They can look near-black, without conspicuous markings, or mottled light grey-brown with copious streaking and scalloping. Common features are broad wings with a slight forward curvature and a broad tail with a rounded tip. The underwings show primaries with wide off-white wing panels, while the coverts are usually dark-brownish and the tips of the flight feathers are black, giving the wings a dark trailing edge. On average they are somewhat lighter than Common Buzzards. Their characteristic features are the completely feathered legs, which are an adaptation to their preferred habitats during the breeding season, in the arctic circle, and the near-white tail with one or more (sub-)terminal dark bands. The irises are orange-brown. The short, hooked bill is dark-grey with a yellow base. The feet are yellow.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Rough-legged Buzzard is available HERE .

There are at least 3 recognized races of Rough-legged Buzzards, which are a migratory species found all around the northern hemisphere. All races breed at high geographic latitudes, between roughly 61 and 76 degrees northern latitude. Their wintering grounds are at latitudes of about 30-50 degrees northern latitude. Nominate race "lagopus" breeds in northern Europe and Asia, from the Benelux countries to eastern Asia. Race "kamtchatkensis" breeds from north Siberia to Pacific North America. Race "sanctijohannis" breeds in North America.

In Europe nominate race "lagopus" is found. Their breeding range extends from southern Norway eastward, via northern Scandinavia into arctic Eurasia. Their wintering grounds range from the Benelux countries, with the rivers Rhine and upper Danube as the border, but also from the Alps and throughout the Balkans and on, along the northern side of both the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, eastward. During their migration they can be found in the areas in between. They are NOT present in France, Italy, Iberia, southern Greece and the Mediterranean islands. They are not found in Asia Minor or southward of the Caucasus either.

During the breeding season Rough-legged Buzzards have a preference for open country, such as tundra or taiga, for hunting, with either scattered trees or cliffs or bluffs for nesting.

Race "lagopus"