As a member of the buteo family the Ferruginous Hawk is a broad winged bird of prey and is able to travel long distances on warm air thermals and air currents. However in various aspects they are similar to some of the smaller eagles, having an extremely wide mouth and feathered feet, and there was some debate concerning its reclassification; however for the time being the Ferruginous Hawk remains a buteo.

The Ferruginous Hawk is a bird most commonly found in the open plains of western America where it hunts a variety of small mammals such as prairie dogs and gophers. However it is also known to feed on small birds, reptiles and even larger insects. The Ferruginous Hawk can sometimes be observed hunting as a pair allowing them to overpower larger animals such as jack rabbit.