Parks & Recreation

Meet the Rough-Legged Hawks at Wildwood Zoo

Rough Hawk

We have two Rough-Legged Hawks at the zoo--one male and one female. Bobo is the male and Hawkeye is the name of the female. Both are amputees (missing one wing). You will often see them hanging out together on the floor of their exhibit. They also enjoy climbing on the lower branches in the exhibit. The rough-legged hawks share their home with Jacks and Jill, our red-tailed hawks.

Rough-Legged Hawks are large hawks that commonly winter in Wisconsin. They breed and spend their summers in Canada before migrating down to the United States to find food for the winter.

Rough-legged hawks got their name from the feathering that extends all the way down to their toes. The only other North American raptors that display this characteristic are Golden Eagles and Ferruginous Hawks. Rough-legged hawks like to eat small mammals (like prairie dogs and rabbits), but will occasionally take a bird as well.

Rough-Legged Hawk Range in North America

Rough range

For more information, please visit USGS.