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Osprey
(Pandion haliaetus)
: "White-headed Osprey", "Fish hawk", "Fish eagle", "Sea hawk", "River
hawk"
German name(s): "Fischadler"
Size: 52-60 cm; wing span: 1.45-1.7 m
Weight: 1.1-2.0 kg
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Ospreys are medium-sized birds of prey. Their overall appearance
is greyish-brown, with a light grey front (throat, belly, vent) and
brownish dark-grey back (mantle, wings, uppertail). The face has prominent
grey eye stripes around eyes with yellow irises. The underwing pattern
is scalloped light-grey (leading edge) to mid-grey (flight feathers) to
dark grey (alulas and
tips of primaries). The bill is dark-grey; the legs and feet are grey,
with dark-grey talons.
The sexes are hard to distinguish, but in breeding pairs the
difference is noticeable -
female
Ospreys have a more pronounced
breast band than
males.
Juvenile and immature
Ospreys have a heavier chest band than
adults.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Osprey
at Wikipedia .
Click here for classification information
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Osprey is available
HERE
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Ospreys are a global species that are found on all continents
(except Australia, where they are replaced by the very closely
related Eastern Osprey,
Pandion cristatus, and Antarctica).
There are two, possibly three, recognized races.
Nominate race "haliaetus" breeds
in eastern Scandinavia, from the Baltic states all through
mid-latitude Eurasia to the base of the Korean peninsula,
Japan and Kamchatka.
There are also a few scattered locations in Europe where
Ospreys can be found.
They winter in South-east Asia, from South China to the
Philippines, Thailand and Burma to Borneo and Sumatra in
Indonesia. Farther West, the winter grounds are on the
entire Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka, and via Pakistan
all the way around the Gulf of Arabia to the North coast
of Oman. Additional winter grounds are located all around
the Red Sea and throughout Africa South of the Sahara
desert.
Race "carolinensis" breeds in northern North America, from
New Fundland via the Great Lakes to southern Alaska. They
winter along the American West and East coast, parts of
central America and all of northern South America outside
the Andes, to a geographic latitude of ca. -30 degrees.
Some sources list the sedentary Ospreys of the Caribbean
islands as separate race "ridgwayi".
Apart from a few isolated locations in western Europe (France,
England, Scotland), Ospreys, race
"haliaetus",
are primarily found as breeding migrants to eastern Europe.
Their breeding range is mostly inland, extending from the
lakes of northern Germany, Poland and of the Baltic states
and most of Scandinavia (except the near-coastal fringe on
the western [Atlantic] side), into eastern Europe eastward
of a line connecting Gdansk with the North coast of the
Caspian Sea, up to about the Arctic circle. There is also
a breeding population in the Danube delta.
Some spend the winters in scattered locations along the
western Mediterranean coastline, including some of the
Mediterranean islands, others migrate to the North coast
of Africa or further, to sub-Saharan Africa.
Ospreys have a strong preference for aquatic habitats, in
which they prey on fish.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "haliaetus"
J. Pires reports spotting Ospreys, race
"haliaetus",
occasionally in the area from the Tejo estuary to Mora, Evora, Portugal.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this
page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.
We have previously found Ospreys, race
"haliaetus",
in Oman.
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Photos |
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Race "haliaetus"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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On average, male Ospreys have less prominent chest bands
than females; the near-complete absence of such a band on
the bird in this near-frontal view suggests that it may be a male
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo Estuary Nature Reserve, Portugal, February 2018]
Lateral view of a male(?) Osprey
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil Dam, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2020]
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FEMALE |
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On average, male Ospreys have less prominent chest bands
than females; the very prominent chest band on
the bird in this ventral view suggests that it may be a female
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo Estuary Nature Reserve, Portugal, February 2018]
Near-frontal/ventral view of an Osprey in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2013]
Lateral view of an Osprey in flight, wings up
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo Estuary Nature Reserve, Portugal, February 2018]
Lateral view of an Osprey in flight, wings down
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo Estuary Nature Reserve, Portugal, February 2018]
Lateral view onto the upperwings of an Osprey in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2013]
Ventral view of an Osprey in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2013]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Near-frontal view of a juvenile Osprey with its prey;
note the light-grey edge lining on the wing coverts
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo Estuary Nature Reserve, Portugal, October 2018]
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Additional information |
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More photos of Ospreys, race
"haliaetus",
were taken in
Oman.
To watch the activities around a pair of Ospreys' aerie in Wales live, click
HERE
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Food, Diet |
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All raptors are carnivores. Ospreys feed on fish, which they can catch
up to 1 m below the water surface.
Lateral view of an Osprey carrying away its prey, a big fish
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado estuarly, Portugal, January 2023]
Dorsal view of an Osprey carrying away its prey
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2018]
Dorsal/ventral view of an Osprey carrying away its prey
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo Estuary Nature Reserve, Portugal, February 2018]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.