The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is one of North America’s most distinctive and widespread birds of prey. It’s sometimes called the “fish hawk” — and for good reason. If you’re anywhere near a large body of water, you are probably going to be treated to the sight of an Osprey, either scanning the water for it's next meal, or, if you are really lucky - catching a fish!

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Ospreys are large raptors, about 21–23 inches long with a wingspan of 5–6 feet. They are dark bown above, with a brown back and wings. The underparts are white with some dark (but faint) barring. Their heads are white with a dark brown eye stripe that extends from the beak through the eye and down the sides of the neck — a signature field mark.  The eyes of an adult are yellow (and orange in the juveniles and immatures).  Speaking of juveniles, they are siminlar to to adults but with speckled, buff-colored edging on the back feathers.

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The osprey’s diet is 99% fish. They are expert anglers: they hover over water, then plunge feet-first, often emerging with a wriggling fish clutched in their talons.

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A super neat adaptation are reversible outer toes and spiny pads on their feet to grip slippery fish. They also orient the fish head-forward in flight to reduce drag! Pretty darn smart!

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Ospreys prefer high, open sites near water — tall trees, cliffs, utility poles (!), and they really love manmade platforms. I have seen them building nests on yachts, much to the dismay of said yacht's owner. 

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 These nests can be quite large and are reused/repaired yearly, growing larger over time. Neat fact: ospreys practice “nest fidelity”, with pairs returning to the same nest site year after year. 

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Ospreys are long-distance migrants, flying thousands of miles each year. North American breeders often winter in South America, Central America, or the Caribbean. They may even stop by the southern states and spend the winter there. 

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They migrate solo — juveniles make their first migration without parental guidance. And the parents take separate vacations-reuniting at the nest site come spring.  Young ospreys will spend a couple years on their wintering grounds, returning north in their third hatch year - and will nest within ten miles of where they were born (hatched). 

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Ospreys are the only member of their family and are found worldwide on every continent except Antarctica.

 

Once severely threatened by DDT (which caused eggshell thinning), Osprey populations plummeted in the mid-20th century. Since the banning of DDT and thanks to nesting platform programs, they’ve made a remarkable recovery.

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Today, they are considered a conservation success story. They are incredibly cool birds!