Osprey Behavior Information

Osprey Basic information:

Except for Antarctica, every continent on the globe is home to Ospreys who either nest or migrate there. They have declined due to habitat loss, hunting, human egg collecting, and chemical pesticide residue in their prey.

Osprey Health Information:

Ospreys are sometimes killed in accidents. They can break a wing if they hit the water at an incorrect angle, or may lock their talons into a fish too large to carry out of the water and become drowned. Females and young can be injured or killed if lightning strikes a nesting tree.

Osprey Breeding Information:

Ospreys return from migratory areas to breeding grounds between April and March, where they will build their nests on any sort of tall, secluded platform near water. This may be a living or dead tree, the top of a hunter's blind, or even a chimney! Ospreys lay dark brown blotched eggs, which have a white to pink or even cinnamon base color. Usually, a clutch consists of two to four eggs, which will incubate for about 35 days. The incubation period varies depending upon the continental location of the Osprey.

Around 53 days, young Ospreys will attempt their first clumsy flights! By three years of age, they will have reached sexual maturity. Ospreys will defend their nests fiercely and may attack intruders who come near.

Osprey History:

Except for Antarctica, every continent on the globe is home to Ospreys who either nest or migrate there. They have declined due to habitat loss, hunting, human egg collecting, and chemical pesticide residue in their prey.

Osprey Behavior:

An extraordinary and large fishing bird, the Osprey is commonly mistaken for the Bald Eagle. Unlike the eagle, however, Ospreys have a habitat that almost encompasses the entire globe!

The call of the Osprey is very shrill and is a repeated whistling sort of 'Chewk Chewk' noise. When alarmed, however, Ospreys will make a louder 'Cheereek' noise. Ospreys are most commonly found in forests near water. Their nests are built overlooking the water. Ospreys are commonly known as 'Fishing Eagles' because they fish! In fact, Ospreys can actually dive underwater to shallow depths from heights of up to 30 meters. To hunt, Ospreys will perch above the water. Then, they will fly slowly above the surface of the water.

When the Ospreys spies a fish, it hovers before diving to catch the prey in its long, strong talons. After the Osprey has obtained its target, it will fly up out of the water or up from the water's surface and pause in mid-flight to shake excess water off of itself! Then it will arrange the fish in its talons so the fish's head points forward, making it more aerodynamic! From this point, the bird will return to its perch or nest to eat its fish or feed it to its young.

Ospreys subsist almost exclusively on fish, although they have been occasionally observed eating small mammals, reptiles, or birds. They migrate to warm, southern areas in the winter and return to more northern areas in the spring and summer. Although they range between 20 and 80 miles per hour in migratory flight, generally Ospreys remain between 20 and 25 miles per hour. Bald Eagles frequently bully Ospreys into losing their meals! If a Bald Eagle sees an Osprey dive and catches a fish, it will harass the bird until it leaves its prey for the eagle!

Osprey more Information:

Alternative Name: American Osprey, Fish Eagle, Fish Hawk, Sea Hawk, Fishing Eagle

Scientific Name: Pandion Haliaetus

Common Food: N/A

Origin: North America, Asia, and Europe

Habitat: N/A