Eastern Osprey

Other names
White-headed Osprey, Fish Hawk.

Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the Eastern Osprey is controversial. The most widely accepted contemporary taxonomic arrangement recognises a single species, Pandion haliaetus, with four subspecies: nominate subspecies haliaetus in the Palearctic, carolinensis in North America, ridgwayi in the Caribbean and cristatus (or leucocephalus) in Australasia and New Caledonia (Ferguson-Lees & Christie 2001 ; Poole 1994 ; Prevost 1983 ; Sibley & Monroe 1990 .).

However, Wink and colleagues (2004) and Wink and Sauer-Gürth (2004) studied three of the four subspecies (haliaetus, carolinensis and cristatus) and proposed that each be elevated to full species status based on differences in distribution, morphology and genetics between the three taxa.

This treatment was accepted by Christidis and Boles (2008) but has not been adopted by BirdLife International (2007k) or Remsen and colleagues (2008). This profile follows Christidis and Boles (2008) and Dickinson (2003) in elevating subspecies cristatus to full species status as the Eastern Osprey, Pandion cristatus.

Behaviour
The Osprey is known for it's migratory flights to Africa during the autumn, they leave towards the end of August/September and don't return until the spring, juveniles though will remain in Africa for a few years until they are old enough to reproduce.

Diet
The Osprey is a bird that lives mainly off fish. In fact around 99% of it's diet consists of fish which it eats head-first. The remaining 1% is made up of careless amphibians, birds (usually juv.) and small mammals, but these are only taken in unusual circumstances.

Reproduction
Osprey's aren't birds to mate for life, as they migrate the male usually arrives back at the nesting site first and if a female osprey arrives which he hasn't mated with before previously he will mate with her anyway due to the fact that there is a morality rate for osprey's especially due to the fact that the flight to South Africa is a dangerous one.