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Osprey Photo by John Loftus
Pandion haliaetus

Hear the osprey's call

AKA: American osprey; sea eagle; sea hawk; fish hawk

SIZE: 21 to 25 inches

WINGSPAN: 54 to 72 inches

FLIGHT SPEED: normally 20 to 30 MPH (can reach 80 in dive)

FEEDING HABITS: Eats fish almost exclusively. Will catch snakes, frogs, mammals, or birds on rare occasion (when fish are unavailable). Hunts from perch along water or flies over surface. Always carries fish with head pointing forward to reduce drag. Can carry fish weighing up to 4 pounds, which is a feat, considering the osprey's maximum weight reaches only 4 pounds 3 ounces.

IDENTIFICATION: Dark above, white below. Head white with dark streak through eye and cheek. Flies with its wrists forward and its wing tips down, giving it an "M" shaped outline.

OTHER NOTES: Osprey have been known to strike the water so hard in pursuit of fish that they break a wing. One banded osprey was recorded to have been 32 years old when found dead. Eagles will dive on an osprey after a successful hunt to steal its fish.

	Above osprey in flight	Osprey Nest		Three photos by C C Haley
Seven photos by Julie Hendricks-Edmonds	Being harassed by kingbird	Two photos by Julie Hendricks-Edmonds