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Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernFishMarinePlatform nestLarge · 1.5 kg
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), photo 1
Photo: Cricket Raspet · CC BY 4.0
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), photo 2
Photo: Cricket Raspet · CC BY 4.0
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), photo 3
Photo: David Garza · CC BY 4.0
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), photo 4
Photo: David Garza · CC BY 4.0
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), photo 5
Photo: geosesarma · CC BY 4.0
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), photo 6
Photo: geosesarma · CC BY 4.0
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), photo 7
Photo: Corey Stafford · CC BY 4.0
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), photo 8
Photo: NASA · Public domain
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), photo 9
Photo: lwolfartist · CC BY 2.0
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), photo 10
Photo: lwolfartist · CC BY 2.0

What the Osprey sounds like

Sonogram of the Osprey: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Flight call · Vains, Manche, Normandie, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Osprey: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Flight call · Vains, Manche, Normandie, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Osprey: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Pascal Christe · Begging call · Switzerland · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The osprey differs in several respects from other diurnal birds of prey. Its toes are of equal length, its tarsi are reticulated, and its talons are rounded, rather than grooved. The osprey and owls are the only raptors whose outer toes are reversible, allowing them to grasp their prey with two toes in front and two behind. This is particularly helpful when they grab slippery fish. The osprey is 0.9–2.1 kg (2.0–4.6 lb) in weight and 50–66 cm (20–26 in) in length with a 127–180 cm (50–71 in) wingspan. It is, thus, of similar size to the largest members of the Buteo or Falco genera.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Osprey

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Osprey

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 198 countries with regular records, and 4 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

United States Canada Sweden Mexico Australia Taiwan Finland Norway Spain Costa Rica France India Colombia Belize United Kingdom Portugal Panama Germany Puerto Rico Japan Belgium Israel South Africa Cuba Brazil Honduras Peru Venezuela Ecuador Bahamas Trinidad & Tobago Nicaragua United Arab Emirates Thailand Hong Kong SAR China Senegal China Guatemala Aruba Oman Dominican Republic Gambia Nepal Curaçao El Salvador Poland Czechia Caribbean Netherlands Egypt Morocco Guyana Philippines Singapore Guadeloupe Türkiye Italy Georgia Denmark Indonesia Russia Bermuda Cayman Islands Jamaica Kenya Paraguay Netherlands Uganda Vietnam Bulgaria South Korea Malaysia Turks & Caicos Islands Argentina Greece Saudi Arabia Ukraine U.S. Virgin Islands Iran Zambia Bangladesh Cape Verde Namibia French Guiana Zimbabwe Kuwait Grenada Switzerland Cambodia Suriname Austria Sri Lanka Papua New Guinea Estonia Antigua & Barbuda St. Lucia Chile Botswana New Caledonia Barbados Hungary Bolivia Tanzania Belarus Solomon Islands Lithuania Mozambique Romania Qatar Bhutan St. Martin St. Vincent & Grenadines Croatia Malawi Latvia Slovakia Haiti Ireland Pakistan Uruguay Dominica Benin Myanmar (Burma) Slovenia Serbia Ghana Martinique Nigeria St. Kitts & Nevis Palestinian Territories British Virgin Islands Guinea-Bissau Djibouti Cyprus Mauritania Gabon Jordan Ethiopia Malta Algeria Azerbaijan Angola Mali Côte d’Ivoire Cameroon Congo - Kinshasa Rwanda Anguilla Bahrain Chad Kazakhstan Gibraltar Tunisia Eswatini Mongolia Guinea Yemen Albania Luxembourg Congo - Brazzaville Laos Sierra Leone Montenegro Uzbekistan Montserrat Libya Burkina Faso Moldova Sudan Lebanon St. Pierre & Miquelon St. Barthélemy Isle of Man Macao SAR China Togo Kyrgyzstan Eritrea Armenia Brunei Equatorial Guinea Liberia Iraq Bosnia & Herzegovina Central African Republic Somalia Palau Niger North Macedonia Kosovo Tajikistan Timor-Leste Syria Turkmenistan Faroe Islands Guam Burundi Seychelles South Sudan Guernsey

Recorded as a rare visitor in Iceland, Madagascar, Mayotte, Andorra.

About the Osprey

The osprey, historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and a wingspan of 180 cm (71 in). It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Watch the Osprey on live cams

Hellgate OspreysMissoula, Montana, USA · Cornell Lab Bird Cams / University of Montana
Charlo Osprey NestCharlo, Montana, USA · Owl Research Institute on explore.org
Chesapeake Conservancy Osprey CamChesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA · Chesapeake Conservancy on explore.org
Moraine State Park Osprey CamMoraine State Park, Pennsylvania, USA · Moraine Preservation Fund / PixCams
SuperBeaks Osprey NestCentral Florida, USA · SuperBeaks
Rogers Place Osprey and Goose NestEdmonton, Alberta, Canada · explore.org
Savannah Osprey Nest stream previewRETURNS MARCH
Savannah Osprey NestSavannah, Georgia, USA · Cornell Lab Bird Cams / Skidaway Audubon
Loch of the Lowes Osprey CamDunkeld, Perthshire, Scotland, UK · Scottish Wildlife Trust
Loch Arkaig Osprey CamLoch Arkaig, Lochaber, Scotland, UK · Woodland Trust
RSPB Loch Garten Osprey CamAbernethy, Scotland, UK · RSPB
Dyfi Osprey ProjectMachynlleth, Wales, UK · Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust
Glaslyn Osprey CamPorthmadog, Wales, UK · Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife
Rutland Water Ospreys, Manton BayRutland Water, England, UK · Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust
Poole Harbour Osprey CamPoole Harbour, England, UK · Birds of Poole Harbour
Loch Doon Osprey Cam stream previewRETURNS APRIL
Loch Doon Osprey CamLoch Doon, Ayrshire, Scotland, UK · East Ayrshire Leisure
Taipalsaari Osprey CamTaipalsaari, Finland · Taipalsaaren sääkset
Osprey Nest, JedwabnoJedwabno, Poland · Eagle Conservation Committee (KOO)
Port Lincoln Osprey CamPort Lincoln, South Australia · Port Lincoln Osprey Project

Browse all 118 bird cams worldwide, live and seasonal, by region and species.

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