Osprey
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The osprey is known for both its beauty and its impressive hunting technique.   fish eater, it plunges down to the water surface to snatch unwary prey in its strong claws. The osprey's tendency to prey on fish stocks makes it unpopular with fisheries.  Hunted almost to extinction in many areas, it has also been a victim of chemical pollution. WIth protection, its numbers are growing in some areas.

Behavior: The only member of its family, the osprey is a large bird with long legs and powerful talons.  It holds it long, slender wings in a shallow "M" shape while flying around the lake, rivers, and coastal regions where it catches fish. The osprey has one of the greatest ranges of any bird.  It breeds in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America. In winter it leaves northern regions and heads south to more temperate climates.  European birds fly to Africa, the North American species migrates to Central and South america, and birds from northern Asia go to India.

Breeding: The male osprey performs displays furring the breeding season to attract a mate or to strengthen his bond with an established mate.  The male rapidly flies up 1,000 feet or more, carrying a fish in his talons.  He then hovers briefly displaying the fish to the female before diving down with his wings folded. Breeding pairs build their nest in treetops or on rocky heights, or on the ground with no predators nearby.  The large nests, made of sticks and debris, may be used and added to each year. The clutch contains three creamy white eggs blotched with red.  The female, with some help from the male, with incubates the eggs for 38 days. At seven weeks, the young osprey fly and leave the e nest.

Food & Hunting: The osprey feeds mainly on fish caught in the service water. It flies 65 to 100 feet above the water until it sees a fish  The pale plumage on the osprey's underside makes it difficult for fish to see it against the sky. The osprey plunges down with wings swept back. Before reaching the water, it swings its feet forward, it legs breaking the surface.  Curving talons. and small hooks in its perch to eat.  Still, larger birds such as the sea eagle may chase the osprey and force it to drop its catch.

Osprey  & Man: The osprey has been hunted for preying on fish stocks.  It was almost exterminated in 1900 but returned in 1950.  The osprey suffers from pesticide poisoning in North America.  Chemicals such as DDT  (seed to kill pests on farmland) seep  into rivers and lakes and build up in fish that the osprey eats.  The chemicals do not usually kill adults birds, but they lay thin shells of their eggs, making them fragile and more likely to break. Few of these young hatch..

Bird watch: After a 50 year absence, the osprey returned to Scotland in the 1950's. Nesting sites across the Highlands are protected, and the Loch Gratin nesting site is a favorite osprey viewing area for European bird watchers.  By 1990, over 50 pairs nested in Scotland, and that number is rising. the breeding season, the osprey fly to Africa, and can be seen at several stops along the way.

Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle, related Species

Height:  5 - 6 ft.
Weight: 2 lb - 4 lb
Length: 2 ft
Wingspan: 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 ft

Breeding:
Sexual Maturity: 3 years
Eggs: 3 - 4, usually 3
Incubation: About 38 days
Fledgling period: about 50 days

Lifestyle:
Diet: Fish. Occasionally small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates
Life span: Can be 15 to 20 years Oldest recorded 32 years
Habit: Migratory. Found both alone and is loose groups.

Related Species: The osprey, the only member of its family, is related to the hawk, eagle, vulture, and falcon.
Distribution: Worldwide along coasts and near inland waters. They breed, winter and reside all over parts of the world.  The bird is found elsewhere during winter migration.
Conservation: Shooting and pesticides poisoning threaten the rare and endangered osprey in many areas of its range.  Strictly protected in some regions..

Identifying the Osprey:
Eggs: Two or three creamy white eggs, blotched with reddish brown.
Identification: Brown plumage with white head feathers.  Male and female similar.  Flies with wings forming "V" shape.
Chick:  Fed by the female. Flies after 50 days.
Nest site:  High in treetops, at top of rocky columns, or on ground if safe.
Plunge diving for prey: Diving from as high as 100 feet the osprey thrusts its feet forward before reaching the water and grabs the prey with its talons.

Did you know:
Although rare, the osprey can catch two fish in one dive.
The osprey's large outer toe can turn backwards, improving its grip on prey.
The osprey's feet are so well adapted for gripping  that some birds have been dragged underwater and drowned by large fish.
On Gar diner's Island near New York, a single osprey colony contained over 300 breeding pairs.

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