📸 PhotoPhoto: Walter Siegmund (talk) · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Rough-legged Buzzard
Buteo lagopus (Rough-legged Buzzard · ケアシノスリ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its average wingspan of 134 cm is wider than a single bed (about 1 m wide) (Comparison).
- 💡 According to ADW, it helps control populations of pests such as mice. The National List of Species of Korea notes that it can be seen in winter at reclaimed areas such as Sihwaho Lake and Cheonsuman Bay.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The rough-legged buzzard is a bird of prey with feathered legs that breeds in Arctic tundra and moves south for winter. It visits Korea as a rare winter visitor.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It has light and dark morphs, so coloration and markings vary among individuals. Adults have dark eyes and a black band along the trailing edge of the underwing.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It scans fields from tall trees or the sky and, upon spotting mice, shrews, or small birds, takes flight quietly and seizes them with its large talons. It also hovers in midair to target rodents on the ground.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
The National List of Species of Korea describes it as a rare winter visitor across Korea, recorded frequently in reclaimed lands and open country such as Sihwaho Lake in Gyeonggi-do and Cheonsuman Bay in Chungcheongnam-do, making it easier to see in the central and northern regions.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2021) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22695973/202640529
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • doi.org — avilist.v2026
- • iucnredlist.org — 202640529
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000001611 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000001611
- • wikidata.org — Q26407
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Buteo lagopus 29283.JPG
- • animaldiversity.org — Buteo lagopus
- • species.nibr.go.kr — mainHome.do
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Andy Wilson · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.