What is an Osprey?
When you see an osprey circling above, take a close look at its talons. You may just find that it’s showing an unlucky fish what it is like to fly above the trees! The osprey is a very unique raptor and a spectacular bird, standing out not only for its beauty but also for its choice of prey.
- Osprey are sometimes known as sea hawks, fish eagles or fish hawks. The Osprey was used as the inspiration for the naming of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
- The Osprey has a worldwide distribution and is found in temperate and tropical regions of all continents except Antarctica. The osprey is the second most widely distributed raptor species, after the peregrine falcon, and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. What is even more interesting is that all of the ospreys around the world are part of a single species, with the exception of the eastern osprey which is native to Australia
- Fish make up 99% of the Osprey’s diet. Occasionally, the Osprey may prey on rodents, rabbits, hares, amphibians, other birds, and small reptiles. The osprey is the only hawk species in North America that eats almost exclusively live fish, with around 80 fish species making up about 99 percent of its diet. The raptor can dive as deep as three feet into the water for fish, but prefers to hunt in shallower areas
- The Osprey and Owls are the only raptors whose outer toe is reversible, allowing them to grasp their prey with two toes in front and two behind.
- Osprey typically take fish weighing 5–10 ounces and about 10–14 inches in length, but the weight can range from 2–68 ounces. Virtually any type of fish in that size range are taken.
- The Osprey is particularly well adapted for catching fish. They have reversible outer toes, sharp spicules on the underside of the toes, closable nostrils to keep out water during dives, and backwards-facing scales on the talons which act as barbs to help hold its catch.
- Ospreys’ hunting success rate is quite high and has been reported to range from 50% to 80% for adults.
- The typical lifespan of an Osprey is 7–10 years, though rarely individuals can grow to be as old as 20–25 years. The oldest European wild Osprey on record lived to be over thirty years of age. During that long lifetime, the migratory birds can rack up over 160,000 miles of travel. In fact, in 2008 an osprey being tracked by researchers flew an amazing 2,700 miles in just 13 days, traveling from Massachusetts to French Guiana, South America!
- In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the main threats to Osprey populations were egg collectors and the hunting adult birds.
- There was a medieval belief that fish were so mesmerized by the Osprey that they turned belly-up in surrender, and this is referenced by Shakespeare in Act 4 Scene 5 of Coriolanus:
I think he’ll be to Rome
As is the osprey to the fish, who takes it
By sovereignty of nature.
- The Osprey is depicted as a white eagle in heraldry, and more recently has become a symbol of positive responses to nature, and has been featured on more than 50 postage stamps.
sources: http://www.withmephotographyblog.com/12-interesting-facts-about-the-osprey ; https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/5-fascinating-facts-about-the-odd-but-awesome-osprey
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