ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD

The name of the scarce, winter visiting Rough-legged Buzzard is not hard to explain. It is a buzzard of the genus Buteo, to which our familiar Buzzard belongs. And it has feathered tarsi (lower legs), unlike the Buzzard which shows bare, yellow tarsi. The feathering on the lower legs (and feet to some extent) is thought to be an adaptation to the cold, of its Arctic breeding range. This is much the same adaptation as that of the ‘furry’ legs and feet of grouse. This similarity is not lost in the name either, as the scientific name of the Rough-legged Buzzard is Buteo lagopus. Lagopus derives from the Ancient Greek for hare and foot, and is also the name given to the genus of the grouse.