Ospreys live near water, such as rivers, lakes and the coast, and they eat almost nothing but fish, and they eat medium-sized fish. An osprey flies over the water and hovers, and then it plunges toward the water to catch a fish. Ospreys hunt for fish from the air, flying up to about 40 meters above the water. Ospreys catch fish on about a quarter or more of their dives. An osprey has rough pads on its feet that help it hold a slippery fish.
An osprey is about 21 to 23 inches long. An adult osprey usually weighs about three to four pounds, and its wingspan is about 5 to 6 feet. Female ospreys are larger than males. Adult ospreys have yellow eyes, and they have a see-through third eyelid that they close when they dive into the water. An osprey can also keep water out of its nostrils when it goes under water.
Ospreys build large, bulky nests of sticks and branches, and they build large stick nests on telephone poles, channel markers and other structures. Osprey pairs use the same nest year after year, and they add new material each year, so the nest can become huge. A female osprey lays two to four eggs that are white with reddish-brown spots. Both the male and the female osprey incubate the eggs, and the eggs hatch after about 40 days of incubation. Young ospreys take their first flight at about 50 to 55 days old.
Most ospreys breed in the north and migrate south for the winter. Ospreys migrate alone, not in flocks. Most ospreys that nest in the UK spend the winter in West Africa. Some ospreys do not migrate. Ospreys that live in the Caribbean mostly stay in one place all year.
Words to know
- hovers: stays in air
- incubate: keep eggs warm
- migrate: travel far
