Rough-Legged Buzzard vs Swainson's Hawk

Buteo lagopus compared with Buteo swainsoni

Key Differences

• Rough-Legged Buzzard is Near Threatened while Swainson's Hawk is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Rough-Legged Buzzard	Swainson's Hawk
Kingdom same	Animalia (प्राणी)	Animalia (प्राणी)
Phylum same	Chordata (रज्जुकी)	Chordata (रज्जुकी)
Class same	Aves (पक्षी)	Aves (पक्षी)
Order same	Accipitriformes (ऐकीपिट्रीफ़ोर्मीस)	Accipitriformes (ऐकीपिट्रीफ़ोर्मीस)
Family same	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus same	Buteo	Buteo
Species	Buteo lagopus	Buteo swainsoni

Evolutionary Relationship

Rough-Legged Buzzard and Swainson's Hawk share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Buteo.

Conservation Status

Rough-Legged Buzzard

NT — Near Threatened

Swainson's Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Rough-Legged Buzzard	Swainson's Hawk
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Rough-Legged Buzzard

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Swainson's Hawk

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, United States, and Venezuela.

Rough-Legged Buzzard

Rough-Legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Swainson's Hawk

Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States