The Osprey's Eyes
The eyes of an osprey are extremely well suited to hunting, with excellent clarity and depth perception, capable of spying and homing in on fish in the water from well above.
The chicks are hatched with brownish, reddish or orange-brown eyes. Over time, the color will change to bright yellow, the eye color of adult ospreys.
Notice the difference in eye color between the two ospreys above left. Can you tell which one is the parent, and which one is just a chick?
The eye color is strikingly similar to that of the bald eagle; common characteristics of the two species - size, coloring and the like - often prompt errors in identification from a distance. Though there are many differences between the two birds, one of the most obvious is a brown eye stripe, or band, that begins in front of the osprey's eye and extends to the back of the head, where it joins the dark back feathers.
For more information on ospreys, click on the pictures below.
General Info || Legs & Foot || Eyes || Beak & Mouth
Wings || Plumage || Feeding || Young Chicks || Breeding & Nests
Terms of Use - Copyright 2009 Central Vermont Public Service
Copyright 2002-2003 photos CVPS, Gustav W. Verderber, Floyd Scholz
and Department of Fish & Wildlife
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