Osprey
The osprey, also called the fish hawk, was once endangered in the United States due to the effects of pesticides. However, it has recently made a strong comeback and their numbers are increasing. This big bird of prey is quite a sight as it hunts for its dinner. Learn to find an osprey and identify it.
Instructions
1. Always look near bodies of water, whether it’s a lake, stream or a river. The osprey eats fish and is the only North American raptor that dives into the water for its meals. Found on every continent except for Antarctica, the osprey eats fish almost exclusively. You will not find an osprey without a body of water somewhere nearby. Fisherman will sometimes be startled by an osprey as it splashes into the water with tremendous force, grabbing a fish with its claws and then flying away.
2. Search for the osprey on the tops of telephone poles and other man-made structures. Ospreys will readily build a nest out of sticks and twigs on the tops of utility poles, channel markers and specially designed platforms just for that purpose. They also reuse the nest, so you can figure on seeing an osprey year after year in the same place once you have spotted one. The nest is very large and cannot be mistaken for anything else; few bird species construct a bigger nest than the osprey.
3. Look for dark above but white below. The osprey has a pure white underbelly, which masks it from the fish that it feeds on as it swoops down. One of the largest birds of prey in the United States, the osprey can be almost 2 feet long with a wingspan up to 70 inches in larger specimens. The osprey female is actually larger than the male.
4. Get a close-up of the osprey’s feet. If you have a pair of binoculars and are in doubt whether what you are looking at is actually an osprey then try to get a good gander at its feet. The osprey has long sharp claws with a reversible toe to help it grab and hold fish as they fly. When they are perching they have three toes in front and one in the back. They will almost always hold a fish by the head as they fly.
5. Look for a large bird flying low and slow over water. The osprey uses its extraordinary eyesight to spot fish and then make its dive into the water to grab them. It will see its prey and then momentarily hover before descending into a steep dive.
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