Feeding
Is the osprey the perfect fisherman? It may be.
With the feet of an owl and the eyesight of an eagle, the osprey is among the most successful hunters or fishers among the birds of prey. Capable of carrying fish that equal its size, the osprey is a predator of uncanny ability.
While its normal flight tops out at around 30 miles an hour, the osprey is capable of hitting 80 mph in steep dives to capture unsuspecting fish. Anyone who witnesses an osprey on the hunt can't help but be impressed.
Ospreys most often capture fish in one of two ways: by scanning the water below and diving down at a sharp angle at high speed, or by gracefully swooping down and plucking its quarry with barely a missed beat of the wings. The steep dive is the more spectacular, and common, method.
Ospreys have been known to circle high above the water in search of prey - virtually any fish species small enough to carry back to the nest or land. Once the osprey spies its target, the bird will go into a dive, in some cases more than 100 feet, pulling up feet first at the last second.
The bird will enter or hit the water with a splash, in some cases going completely under, before gracefully lifting off with the wriggling fish in tow. Remarkably, the bird will invariably use its four-toed feet to shift the fish to a head-first position in flight - all the better to carry with minimal drag.
Once back at the nest or suitable feeding spot, the osprey will use its powerful feet to hold the fish and its hooked bill to tear chunks of meat free. If the fish is too big to eat in one sitting, ospreys will often dump the remains, although they will sometimes return to the meal later on.
At Lake Arrowhead, the ospreys have been seen taking some big fish, including northern pike that were up to 2 feet long!
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 2007 Central Vermont Public Service
Copyright 2002-2003 photos CVPS, Gustav W. Verderber, Floyd Scholz
and Department of Fish & Wildlife
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