General Information
Like all birds of prey, the osprey is built for hunting. Fish make up the vast majority of the diet - up to 98 percent - and are usually taken from the water after a steep dive. Ospreys have a high kill rate, by many accounts grabbing fish successfully in more than three-quarters of their attempts.
Due to its diet, the osprey is also known as a fish hawk.
Although it is a skilled flyer and hunter, like other raptors, the osprey is truly unique among hawks physiologically.
The osprey's bone structure is different from other birds of prey, and its feet are more like an owl's than a hawk's. The legs of ospreys are also different from other hawks. The thighs are covered in short, dense feathers, and the shank is scaled.
The call is varied. Ospreys often "cheap" or chirp repeatedly, but the "cheap, cheap, cheap" of an osprey can become highly agitated if the bird, its nest or its young are threatened.
The osprey is variously described as threatened, ecologically sensitive or endangered depending on locale. In Vermont, the species was removed from the endangered list thanks to extensive efforts by Meeri Zetterstrom, the Department of Fish & Wildlife, CVPS and other landowners. The osprey remains a species of special concern in Vermont.
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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