JACKSON, Wyo. — Jacksonites might be fortunate enough to observe migrating Rough-legged Hawks as they complete their journey from the Arctic to Jackson Hole in early November.
Also referred to as “Roughies,” these broad winged hawks are one of the few species that winter migrate to this region, unlike their bird counterparts who vacate in search of warmer temperatures.
“When we think about bird migration, it’s often about where ‘our’ birds in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem go to winter,” Conservation Director at the Teton Raptor Center Bryan Bedrosian said. “But there are several cases where we need to flip that thinking around, especially when the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem provides key wintering habitat to birds that breed farther north. Rough-legged Hawks are a great example of an arctic breeder that overwinters in Wyoming. As we learn more about long-distance migration, it’s important to think about how we can conserve all species that rely on this amazing landscape to survive, in all seasons.”
According to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the species is named for its unique feathered legs, which are built to conserve heat. The hawk breeds throughout the arctic and sub-arctic regions of North America, Europe and Asia over the course of spring and summer. In autumn, almost all Roughies leave their breeding grounds and migrate to open ranges in southern Canada and the northern United States.
Bedrosian collaborated with Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and the GTNP Foundation to track a group of approximately 12 to 15 Roughies from Jackson Hole. He estimates that thousands of Roughies winter throughout Wyoming and a couple dozen reside in the valley. The gathered data, along with a few transmitters, was shared in collaboration with the Rough-Legged Hawk Project, which is led by Neil Paprocki at University of Idaho and Jeff Kidd from Kidd Biological.
“We’ve been tracking Rough-legged Hawks for years,” Bedrosian said. “We have birds that have birthing grounds in northwestern Alaska and Nunavut, Canada and generally they come back to this area and northwestern Wyoming. This year seems to be a later migration season, due to climate change and extended Arctic summers rapidly altering bird migration. They should be returning to the area any day now.”
In collaboration with GTNP, Bedrosian captured Roughies in GTNP and the Pinedale area, and outfitted the birds with solar-powered backpack transmitters. A backpack will transmit a hawk’s GPS location to the nearest satellite, and the coordinates are emailed directly to Bedrosian.
Often perched on power poles, cliff outcroppings and the tops of trees, Bedrosian says the best places to view Jackson Roughies, is along Spring Gulch Road, the Elk Refuge and on Highway 89 south of town, towards the recycling center.
Bedrosian goes on to say that Rough-legged Hawks are often mistaken for their Ferruginous or day-hunting birds of prey family members, Red-tailed Hawks. He explains that the most distinguishing feature of a Roughie in flight, is their dark wrist patches. Their feet are relatively small compared to the Red-tailed Hawk, so they take on smaller prey such as mice and voles. Rough-legged Hawks typically soar and glide with their tails fanned and with their wings held in a dihedral or “V” shape, which allows them to hover while hunting.
“Most of our Red-tailed Hawks migrate to Mexico in the fall, so if you see a hawk in the winter, it’s most likely a Roughie on a tree or power pole,” Bedrosian said.
