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Osprey
*** Shopping-Tip: Osprey
{{otheruses}}
{{Taxobox
| color = pink
| name = Osprey
| image = Osprey.jpg
| image_width = 200px
| regnum =
Animalia
| phylum =
Chordate Chordata
| classis =
Bird Aves
| ordo =
Falconiformes
| familia = '''Pandionidae'''
| familia_authority = Sclater & Salvin, 1873
| genus = '''''Pandion'''''
| genus_authority =
Marie Jules César Savigny Savigny, 1809
| species = '''''P. haliaetus'''''
| binomial = ''Pandion haliaetus''
| binomial_authority = (
Carolus Linnaeus Linnaeus,
1758)
}}
The '''Osprey''' (''Pandion haliaetus'') is a medium large
bird of prey raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution. It is often known by other
colloquial names such as '''fishhawk''', '''seahawk''' or '''Fish Eagle'''. It is the only member of the genus ''Pandion'', which is in turn the only genus in family Pandionidae.
The Osprey is 52-60cm (20.5-23.6 inches) long with a 152-167cm (5-5.5 feet) wingspan. It has white underparts and long, narrow wings with four "finger" feathers at the end of each, which give it a very distinctive appearance.
Their call is a series of sharp, whistles, ''cheep'', ''cheep'', or ''yewk'', ''yewk''. Near the nest, a frenzied ''cheereek''!
The Osprey is particularly well adapted to its diet, with reversible outer toes, closable nostrils to keep out water during dives, and backwards facing scales on the talons which act as barbs to help catch
fish.
Image:OspreyNASA.jpg thumb|left|250px|An osprey preparing to dive.
It locates its prey from the air, often hovering prior to plunging feet-first into the water to seize a fish. As it rises back into flight the fish is turned head forward to reduce
drag (physics) drag. The 'barbed' talons are such effective tools for grasping fish that, on occasion, an Osprey may be unable to release a fish that is heavier than expected. This can cause the Osprey to be pulled into the water, where it may either swim to safety or succumb to
hypothermia and drown.
It breeds by freshwater lakes, and sometimes on coastal brackish waters. The nest is a large heap of sticks built in trees, rocky outcrops, telephone poles or artificial platforms. In some regions with high Osprey densities, such as
Chesapeake Bay,
USA, most Ospreys do not start breeding until they are five to seven years old. Many of the structures they need to build nests on are already taken. If there are no nesting sites available, young Ospreys may be forced to delay breeding.
Ospreys usually mate for life. In March or earlier depending on region, they begin a five-month period of partnership to raise their young. Females lay 3–4
The biology of eggs eggs by late April, and rely on the size of their nest to help conserve heat. The eggs are approximately the size of
chicken eggs, and
cinnamon colored. The eggs generally incubate for 5 weeks. After hatching, 2-ounce chicks become fliers within eight weeks. When food is scarce, the first chicks to hatch are most likely to survive. The typical lifespan is 20-25 years.
Europe European breeders winter in
Africa.
United States American and
Canada Canadian breeders winter in
South America, although some stay in the southernmost
United States USA states such as
Florida and
California.
Australasian Ospreys tend not to
bird migration migrate.
Image:Osprey01usfs.jpg thumb|200px|left|Osprey soaring.
The Osprey differs in several respects from the other diurnal birds of prey, and has always presented something of a riddle to the taxonomist. Here it is treated as the sole member of the family '''Pandionidae''', and the family listed in its traditional place as part of the order
Falconiformes. Other schemes place it alongside the hawks and eagles in the family
Accipitridae—which itself can be regarded as making up the bulk of the order
Accipitriformes or else be lumped with the
Falconidae into
Falconiformes— and others again group it alongside the other raptors in a greatly enlarged
Ciconiiformes.
Twenty to thirty years ago, Ospreys in some regions faced possible
extinction, because the species could not produce enough young to maintain the population. Since the ban of
DDT in many countries in the early 1970s, together with reduced persecution, the Ospreys, as well as other affected
bird of prey species are making significant recoveries.
The Osprey is the
List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols official bird of
Nova Scotia in
Canada and
Sudermannia in
Sweden. It is the official mascot and team name for the
University of North Florida and the
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. The bird was depicted on the 1986 series
Canadian dollar Canadian $10 note.
See also
*
Ospreys in Britain
External links
{{commons|Pandion haliaetus}}
{{en:wiktionary|osprey}}
-
RSPB UK Osprey Diary with links to much other bird information
-
For numerous links to information about ospreys in Britain.
-
A little about ospreys in West Virginia
-
Osprey videos on the Internet Bird Collection
Category:Birds of prey
Category:falconiformes
Category:accipitriformes
Category:Heraldic birds
af:Visarend
bg:Орел рибар
cs:Orlovec Å™ÃÄ?nÃ
cy:Gwalch y Pysgod
da:Fiskeørn
de:Fischadler
eo:FiÅ?aglo
fr:Balbuzard pêcheur
fy:Fiskearn
gl:Aguia peixeira
io:Maraglo
he:שלך
lt:Erelis žuvininkas
nl:Visarend
ja:ミサゴ
nn:Fiskeørn
pl:Rybołów
pt:Ã?guia-pesqueira
sl:Ribji orel
fi:Sääksi
sv:Fiskgjuse
tr:Balık kartalı
zh:é¹—
*** Shopping-Tip: Osprey
