Today's featured feathered friend is the Osprey. The Osprey is the second most widely distributed raptor species on earth, behind the Peregrine Falcon. They are found in temperate and tropical regions of every continent except Antarctica. It is sometimes referred to as a sea hawk, a fish hawk or a fish eagle. The Osprey is the provincial bird of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Ospreys are long-winged hawks with short slender bodies. They are dark brown above and white below. Ospreys have small white heads with a broad brown eye stripe. Their yellow eyes are large and piercing. Their narrow wings are mostly white with a prominent dark patch at the wrists. They average between 21 and 24 inches in length, between four and six pounds in weight and their wingspan averages between five and six feet. In breeding pairs, females are visibly larger than males. Juveniles have white spots on the back and buffy shading on the breast with reddish-orange eyes.
The Osprey's diet is almost exclusively live fish and they are very skilled anglers. They can spot a fish from heights of over 100 feet above the surface of the water. Once they have selected a target, they will hover for a moment and then dive feet first into the water to snatch the fish. They are not fussy eaters and will take any fish, usually between 10 and 14 inches long and weighing less than 12 ounces.
Click on the links below to learn more about this fascinating raptor and enjoy these photo of the Osprey.....tweet.....tweet!!
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| Posing in a tree. (Taken 6/30/12, Sports Complex, Englewood FL) |
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| Adults at the nest. (male left, female on right) (Taken 2/27/13, Oyster Creek Regional Park, Englewood FL) |
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| Juveniles on the nest. (Taken 4/24/12, Sanibel Island FL) |
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| Up close and personal (Taken 1/2/13, Parrish Park, Titusville FL) |
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| Flying away with it's catch. (Taken 1/1/13, The Celery Fields, Sarasota FL) |
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