Osprey have a worldwide distribution and can be found on almost every continent except Antarctica. Osprey are especially abundant in Finland and Scandinavia, and in the Chesapeake Bay region of the United States.
Species Appearance
Osprey are large birds of prey. Generally these birds have a large wingspan. Osprey have a white breast with a breast band, chocolate brown back, eye stripe on a small narrow head with black marks.
Risks to the Species
There was a time when Ospreys were almost on the endangered species list. Recently they are making a comeback due to intensive conservation efforts. Many feel that conservation has played a major role in saving these birds from extinction.
Historically, Osprey faced the threat of hunting pressures. The invention of the shotgun caused a dramatic increase in hunters. Osprey were hunted because many farmers thought that the animal was a pest both in the air and to their supply of fish. Today hunting continues illegally despite ospreys being protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Ospreys exclusively eat live fish. The diet is variable and depends on regional differences in fish availability. In Nova Scotia, alewife, smelt, Pollock, and winter flounder compose 94 percent of their diet.
Breeding of the Species
Pairs copulate just before egg laying. Two days after copulation the female lays three to four eggs, usually one or two days apart, which hatch in the sequence in which they were laid. These eggs weigh 60 to 80 grams. Males and females incubate the eggs for five to six weeks, until they hatch.
