Osprey Identification Guide
Its scientific name is 'Pandion haliaetus', from the family Pandionidae (order Accipitriformes)
What I look like
The Osprey is a small raptor about fifty centimeters in length.
It has a wingspan that is three times its length (about one hundred and fifty centimeters).
It is recognized by its silhouette with long, narrow wings with 4 finger-like feathers and its short, square-tipped tail.
Its head has a white crown streaked with dark and its iris is yellow with a black eye stripe.
The upper side of its body is brown-gray.
The underside is whitish with sometimes a visible brown breast band.
The underside of the wings is marked with black, with a distinct dark band at the tips.
The underside of the tail also features a dark terminal band.
Juveniles have a light scaly appearance on the upper plumage and their iris is orange.
Viewed from below, their wings are barred with black, but without a distinct band like the adult's.
Its talons are very powerful with long claws.
My songs, my calls
During courtship flights, the Osprey repeats a plaintive whistle that sounds like a mewing. "yiip-yiip..." "u-ilp"
Its contact call is a brief, loud, explosive whistle. Its alarm call is a rapid repetition "kiu-kiu-kiu". Here, you can hear a female arriving at the nest, her contact call, and then the alarm call.
How I behave
The Osprey often flies in place above the water, searching for prey.
It practices gliding flight with bent wings.
Viewed from the front in flight, it has a bell-like shape.
How I reproduce
The Osprey builds its nest from branches, at the top of a pine tree or on a rocky outcrop.
During courtship, it performs a very high undulating flight with dangling legs or while holding a fish in its talons.
It rises quickly to 300 meters or more, holding a fish in its talons. It performs a brief hover, displaying the fish, before diving with closed wings.
What I eat
The Osprey feeds on fish.
It hovers above the water and dives straight down on fish. It plunges headfirst, wings folded, talons extended forward.
Where to find me
The Osprey comes to Europe from April to September.
It mainly settles in northern and eastern Europe. But it is also found in western and southern Europe during migration.
It lives near lakes and ponds as well as on the coasts for nesting.
It winters in Africa.
There are a few rare residents on the Mediterranean coast.
It can live up to about thirty-two years.