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 is on the endangered list, but due to extensive efforts by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, utility companies and other landowners, the birds have made a remarkable comeback in recent years. Their endangered status may well be changed to "threatened" due to the birds' re-emergence.
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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