Osprey

Osprey, adult, Sanibel Island, FL, March

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Osprey, adult with fish; Ding Darling NWR, FL.

Osprey, in flight, carrying fish, Sanibel Island, FL. Ospreys generally carry fish with the head forward, which cuts wind resistance and speeds flight back to nest or perch.

The "business end" of an Osprey: long claws and spiny pads on feet help secure live fish prey. In addition, the outer toe (here, facing viewer) is reversible, allowing an individual to grip fish with 2 toes forward and 2 back -- providing extra stability.

Osprey, adult female(L) and juveniles (R) in nest, Sanibel, FL

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

One of the largest birds of prey in North America, the Osprey eats almost exclusively fish. It is one of the most widespread birds in the world, found on all continents except Antarctica.

Cool Facts

• The Osprey readily builds its nest on manmade structures, such as telephone poles, channel markers, duck blinds, and nest platforms designed especially for it. Such platforms have become an important tool in reestablishing Ospreys in areas where they had disappeared. In some areas nests are placed almost exclusively on artificial structures.

• Osprey eggs do not hatch all at once, but instead the first chick hatches out up to five days before the last one. The older chick dominates its younger siblings, and can monopolize the food brought by the parents. If food is abundant, little aggression is seen amongst the chicks, but if food is limited, the younger chicks often starve.

• The Osprey is a fish-eating specialist, with live fish accounting for about 99% of its diet. Barbed pads on the soles of its feet help it grip slippery fish. When an Osprey takes a large fish to its nest, it carries the fish headfirst to make it as aerodynamic as possible.

Description

• Size: 54-58 cm (21-23 in)
• Wingspan: 150-180 cm (59-71 in)
• Weight: 1400-2000 g (49.42-70.6 ounces)

• Large raptor.
• White breast and belly.
• Black back and wings.
• Long wings, held with wingtips angled slightly backwards.
• Dark eyestripe.
• Crown and forehead white.

• Large, black mark at the wrist or bend in the wing.
• Dark speckling on chest.
• Eyes yellow.
• Legs and feet gray.
• Tail and wing feathers finely barred black and gray.
• Bill black.

Sex Differences

Sexes similar; female larger and tends to have fuller and darker chest band.

Immature

Juvenile similar to adult, but with whitish scaling on back feathers, fewer markings on chest, and orange eyes.

Similar Species

• Bald Eagle is larger, has a dark chest and underside, yellow legs, and flies with its broad wings held flat.

Sound

Calls are short, chirping whistles

Range

Range Map

© 2003 Cornell Lab of Ornithology

About the map

Summer Range

Breeds from Alaska across Canada, southward locally and along coasts to Mexico and Caribbean. Also in Eurasia, Middle East, Australia, and Indonesia.

Winter Range

Winters from southern United States southward to South America. Also in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

Habitat

Breeds in variety of habitats with shallow water and large fish, including boreal forest ponds, desert salt-flat lagoons, temperate lakes, and tropical coasts. Winters along large bodies of water containing fish.

Food

Fish.

Behavior

Foraging

Dives feet-first into water to grab fish from near surface. Often hovers over water before dive.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Large nest of sticks, lined with bark, sod, grasses, vines, and sometimes plastic bags.

Egg Description

Creamy white to pinkish cinnamon, heavily wreathed around larger end with reddish brown spots.

Clutch Size

Condition at Hatching

Capable of limited motion. Covered with down and with eyes open.

Conservation Status

Osprey numbers declined drastically in 1950-1970s, from pesticide poisoning and eggshell thinning. After the ban on DDT, populations increased rapidly. Still listed as endangered or threatened in some states, especially in inland states where populations were small or extirpated after the pesticide years.

Other Names

Balbuzard pêcheur (French)
Gavilán pescador (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Poole, A. F., R. O. Bierregaard, and M. S. Martell. 2002. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). In The Birds of North America, No. 683 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.