Osprey

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Osprey

	Scientific name: Pandion haliaetus
	Family name: Pandionidae
	Are they endangered? No, they are not endangered worldwide. (IUCN Red list: Least concern) They are endangered in New Jersey.
	What are their past/present problems? One of its enemies is large owls. Dangers to the Osprey are hurricanes, lightning, cold, and hunger. Fisherman used to kill them because they didn’t want the osprey to get so many fish. Ospreys are also in danger from eating prey that has eaten insects that died from DDT pesticide poisoning. After eating enough prey with the DDT, the Osprey may die or lay thin-shelled eggs that break before they hatch. Loss or pollution of wetlands ruins the habitat of the Osprey. Loss of habitat can kill a species.

What do they look like? Osprey have white bellies and legs. Their wings and backs are brown. Their legs are long and thin.

How big are they? The Osprey is about 2 feet long. If it stretched its wings out as far as they would go, they would be between 4 to 6 feet wide.

How many eggs do they lay? The female Osprey lays about 3 white eggs once a year. They hatch in about a month.

How long do the fledglings stay in the nest? The Osprey builds a nest out of stuff they find around the water—like seaweed, sticks, or mud. They will build nests on manmade platforms, too. The babies stay in the nest for about 7 weeks.

When do they hunt? They hunt during the day. (diurnal)

What do they eat? They eat fish, frogs, baby alligators, or turtles. They usually pick animals that live in or swim in water.

Where do they live? They live in South America, the Caribbean Islands, Central America, Middle Eastern countries, Europe, the United States, Africa, and more.

What kind of place do they like to live in? They like to live by water whether it is fresh water or salt water. They might live on marshland.

Interesting facts:

	Ospreys take baths by wading in water and beating their wings. They need clean feathers so that they can fly well. When they want to cool off or clean their feet, Osprey will drag their feet through the water as they fly over it.
	When an Osprey dives for a fish, its whole body goes underwater. Its nose will close up when it goes under.
	Ospreys have very big and strong wings because they have to grab fish out of the water with their talons and fly away with it.
	These birds might carry a fish in their talons while they are migrating. “OPAL—Osprey Packing A Lunch” [Alderfer]