Osprey

Osprey, Pandion haliaetus is a species of raptor, it is the only species found in the family Pandionidae and the genus Pandion. Together, with Cathartidae, Sagittariidae and Accipitridae, they make up Accipitrimorphae. They are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere and Australia.

"Osprey" comes from the Latin "ossifragus", meaning "bone breaker", but this name probably refers to another species, the Lammergeier. Pandion was the name of the two mythical kings of Athens; haliaetus is from the Greek hals meaning "sea" and aetos meaning "eagle".

Taxonomy
It is sometimes placed in Accipitridae, although current consensus places them in their own family, Pandionidae It was also part of Sibley and Ahlquist's expanded Ciconiiformes.

It is sometimes split into two species: Western Osprey and Eastern Osprey.

Other names
Formerly known as Fish Hawk.

Description
Length is 50 - 66 cm; wingspan is 127 - 174 cm; males weigh 1.2 - 1.74 kg while females weigh 1.21 - 2.05 kg. Sexes alike, though the female may show darker, streaking on neck.

Ospreys are mid-sized, long-winged, two-toned raptors. Their outer toes, like owls, are reversible ; this character and the sharp spicules on the lower surface of the toes allow them to grasp slippery fish; they also have a closeable nostril. Blackish-dark brown above, white below; head is largely with a broad black cheek patch. Shows a band of darker streaks on breast, heaviest and more prominent in the female. Black bill with pale grey base; eyes are yellow in adults; upper legs are feathered white and the lower tarsi are grey.

Juvenile as adult, but feathers on mantle and upperwing fringed pale. Eyes are orange. Flight feathers with pale white tips.

In flight, shows long narrow wings are bent back at the "wrist", dark carpal patches are conspicuous, wings slightly arched when soaring ; wrists usually held up and forward, outer wings bent down and back, creating an "M"-shape silhouette from below or head-on.

Similar species
Bald Eagles are larger, usually have dark bodies, fly with level wings, and lack black carpal patches on their underwings. Large gulls can appear very Osprey-like but are smaller and have shorter, pointed wings, longer necks, and unbanded tails, and lack the black carpal patches on the underwings.

Behaviour
Wingbeats are deep while flying; hovers while hunting fish.

Spends much of its time near water, perched on dead snag of trees or on rocks; flies out occasionally over fresh or salt water to hunt; flies about 30 - 100 ft above surface.

When it sights a fish, hovers with wings beating, legs trailing under body, may sometimes plunge into water from straight flight; in dive, feet and head project forward ahead with wings held above back, tail spread; may strike water with tremendous splash; sometimes disappears below the surface of the water, with only wingtips showing.

Rises from the water with fish gripped in both feet, it pauses in midair to shake water from plumage, and to arrange fish with the head pointing forward, which reduces its resistance to the air. Flies with its fish to its habitual perch to eat or to nest to feed its young.

Diet
Feeds on fish, hovering over water before plunging feet first onto prey.

Reported to carry fish up to four pounds or more.

Feeds almost exclusively on fish - alewives, herring, bluefish, blowfish, bonito, bowfin, carp, catfish, eels, flounders, flying fishes, goldfish, horned pout, menhaden, mullet, perch, pickerel, pike, salmon, shad, squeteague, suckers, and many others; also occasionally catches and eats small rodents and small birds

Bent (1937), cites an amusing experience W.B. Savary, who watched an osprey catch and lose in a succession four blowfish, or swellfish, Spheroides maculatus, one of the spiny-rayed saltwater fishes of the Atlantic; the fish escaped by inflating themselves until the osprey's talons lost their hold and the fish dropped back into the water.

Ospreys are also known to catch snakes, frogs, storm-petrels, sandpipers, ducks, possibly at times when fish are not available. May also feed on mammals. Tait ''et. al.'' (1972) watched an osprey carrying an unidentified mammal.

Calls
The calls of an Osprey consists of melodic ascending whistles including the "chewk-chewk-chewk" or the familiar "kip-kip-kip". In display it gives off a series of yeelp-yeelp-yeelp.... When alarmed, it utters a hoarse, sharp kew-kew-kew-kew.