Birds of Prey
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
A fish-eating hawk that hovers over water and plunges feet-first to catch its prey. Its huge stick nests sit on poles, channel markers and dead trees.
How to identify it
- Dark brown above, white below
- White head with a dark stripe through the eye
- Long wings bent at the wrist in an "M" shape in flight
- Dark patches at the bend of the underwing
- High, whistled "cheep-cheep" calls
SizeBetween an American Crow and a Canada Goose
American Crow19 in
Osprey22 in
Canada Goose37 in
Great Blue Heron46 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 21โ23 in long; wingspan 59โ71 in
- Weight
- 3โ4.4 lb
- Habitat
- Coasts, rivers, lakes and reservoirs
- When to see it
- Summer across most of the US; year-round in Florida and along the Gulf; migrates to South America
- Diet
- Fish
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Eats almost only live fish, diving feet-first from up to about 100 feet.
Nesting
A bulky stick nest on a dead tree, pole, channel marker or nesting platform near water.
- Clutch
- 1โ4 eggs
- Incubation
- 36โ42 days
- Young
- Fledge at about 7โ8 weeks
- Broods
- 1 per year
Behavior
Carries fish headfirst to reduce wind drag. Can close its nostrils when it dives.
Conservation
Recovered strongly after DDT was banned; nest platforms helped.
Cool facts
- Barbed pads on its feet help it grip slippery fish.
- It can turn one toe backward to hold fish with two toes on each side.
- Ospreys live on every continent except Antarctica.
Songs & calls
โถBird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Osprey
โถVideo coming soon
