Found on all continents of the world except Antarctica. Beautiful, proud, she, unfortunately, has become rare. This is a migratory species.

They winter in Africa and South Asia, where they fly from Eastern Europe in September. They return to their nesting sites in April.

The flight is long and difficult; if the bird is not sufficiently nourished, it will not be able to withstand it, flying, for example, over the ocean. There is nowhere to sit and rest, there is water all around.

During migration they stop to eat and rest. They can fly 500 km a day, strong endurance is needed. Unfortunately, not all birds can overcome such difficult tests.

The osprey settles on the shores of lakes, rivers and seas, where there is a lot of fish. This is a fairly large bird, 55 - 63 cm long, weighing 1.2 - 2 kg, with females larger than males. The span of its pointed wings is 150 - 170 cm. Makes a sharp “kai-kai” cry.

The chest and belly are white, with dark streaks, the back is dark brown. The head is covered with light feathers, and on the sides, towards the body, from the eyes, there are dark stripes.

The bird has a strong build, a powerful curved beak, a short tail and strong legs with sharp claws. Under the bird's claws there are also pads with small spines that help to hold prey.

The osprey has a difference from all birds of prey: the hind and middle fingers are the same length, and the outer finger is also reversed. The explanation for this is that it is the only predator that feeds on fish.

Its paws are perfectly adapted for grasping and holding slippery and fidgety prey. There is a crest on the back of the bird's head. The feathers are covered with water-repellent grease, and the nostrils are protected by special valves from water entering them. The eyes are yellow and very sharp.

The osprey leads a solitary lifestyle, with the exception of the breeding season.
Every day he catches fish, looking at them from a flying height. You need to calculate everything clearly, descend correctly and grab the catch. There are mistakes, and sometimes the hunter herself dies - the fish is too heavy for the bird. She cannot rise into the sky, for some reason she does not let go of her prey, and drowns.

It can hold fish weighing up to 3 kg in its claws; if the catch is more than this norm, then a sad ending will come for the fisherman. A predator can spot a fish in a soaring flight from a height of 30 meters, then suddenly rushes down, opens its claws, lowering them into the water, and once it grabs the fish, it will never let go.

He eats sitting on a branch or on an earthen cliff. He eats about 400-600g of fish per day. If fishing is not going well, he can snack on a frog or mouse. Eagles often take prey from her. Enemies - owls, eagles, snakes, raccoons.

The nest is built high in the trees, at the very tops of branches and twigs, not far from the water. The pair returns to their 1.5 meter nest year after year, renovating it. The female will lay 2-3 white eggs with reddish-brown speckles.

Both parents incubate the clutch for approximately 35 days. Then the male flies for food, and the female spends the first days in the nest with the chicks, warming them with her warmth.

The chicks are covered with white down, which after ten days will change to a dark gray color. The fish that the parent brings to the nest is torn into small pieces and then distributed to the hungry, insatiable chicks.

At 12 weeks of age, they begin to explore the world outside the nest. Very curious, they disturb and disturb other birds. The young will leave the nest at the age of two months, when they are fully feathered.

They learn to fly and get their own food. Of course, not everything works out right away, only patience, work and perseverance will teach them to survive in this beautiful wild world of nature. And soon they will have their first long flight to the southern regions, where it is warm and there is a lot of fish.

Appearance. The dorsal side is blackish-gray, the ventral side is light with a dark stripe across the chest. The head is white with a black stripe across the eye. There are dark spots on the bottom of the wing folds, and faint transverse stripes on the tail. The structure of the paw is peculiar - the outer toe is very mobile and can be directed both forward and backward; the pads of the toes have sharp spines that serve to hold slippery prey. The tarsus is not feathered. A soaring bird holds its wings with slightly curved ends downward, like a seagull.
Short whistle.
Habitat. It lives in most of the territory of Russia near clear fish rivers and lakes, and less often along the coasts of the seas.
Nutrition. It feeds exclusively on fish. It looks out for prey from the air and catches it by diving into the water and even diving shallowly with acceleration.
Nesting sites. It always nests near bodies of water, as it feeds almost exclusively on fish.
Nest location. It nests on tall trees (pines, birches, spruces), usually with a dry top. The nest is located at a height of 8-10 to 20-25 m from the ground. In the absence of trees, it can place its nest on rocks or even on the ground.
Nest building material. The nest is built from thick branches.
Shape and dimensions of the nest. The nest is a structure made of twigs with a rounded bottom and a shallow tray. The diameter of the nest is about 1000 mm, the height of the nest is 500-700 mm.
Features of masonry. The clutch consists of 2-3 pale blue eggs with reddish and lilac-brown streaks of different sizes. Sometimes the main background color can be reddish or brown in various shades. Egg dimensions: (62-64) x (46-48) mm.
Nesting dates. Arrives in April. Eggs appear in nests in late April - early May. Half-feathered chicks are observed in mid-July. Departure takes place in September.
Spreading. It is found wherever there are open waters rich in fish, and does not avoid sea coasts. It is not found only in the Far North. In Russia, the northern border of its distribution runs from the Kola Peninsula to the middle reaches of the Northern Dvina, then to Yeniseisk; An osprey was also found in the Anadyr region.
Wintering. Winters in tropical Africa and South Asia, flying in the latter to the Sunda and Philippine Islands.
Economic importance. Listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Description of Buturlin. The osprey occupies a special place among our predators. In some places, for example in the north and near Leningrad, it is called “fisherman”. Indeed, this is a predator, eating almost exclusively fish. Plumage ospreys are rigid and tightly fitting to the body; the wings are long and powerful; on the lower leg there are no elongated feathers characteristic of other birds of prey, forming the so-called “pants”. The paws are very strong; the inner surface of the fingers is covered with spines; claws without sharp edges, but convex on the inner surface, large and sharply bent; the outer finger is “reverse”, like that of owls, that is, it can be turned back. Unlike all other predators, the osprey has a highly developed coccygeal (supra-tail) gland, which secretes a fatty substance that serves to lubricate the feathers. All these structural features of the osprey make it easier for it to catch fish in the water: the design of its paws helps it tightly grip slippery fish on both sides; the absence of elongated shin feathers makes it easier to immerse the paws in the water; the strong development of the coccygeal gland makes the plumage less wet.
Hunts osprey, flying above the water at an altitude of 20-25 meters. Having spotted the fish, it folds its wings and rushes at the prey, stretching out its paws. When thrown, the bird hides in high-flying sprays of water, and sometimes it is completely immersed in the water. The sharply bent claws of the osprey sometimes even cause harm to it. There are cases when an osprey, submerged in the water, no longer comes to the surface, carried away by unbearable prey.
Osprey - pretty large a bird weighing up to 1.5 kilograms, with a wingspan of about 150-165 centimeters and a wing 46-53 centimeters long.
Female and male painted similar: their head is white, with blackish-brown longitudinal markings; the rest of the top is brown, the bottom is white, often with a brownish spot on the crop. Juveniles are distinguished from adults by buffy-whitish edges on the feathers of the upper body. The iris of the osprey is yellow, the legs and cere are grayish-bluish or leaden-bluish.
Osprey is one of the most widely common birds. As soon as the ice melts, the osprey appears at nesting sites. At this time, you can see her - alone or in pairs - high in the air. The bird flies silently, slightly moving its long wings and sometimes describing several circles over a lake or river.
After arriving, she begins building a nest or repairing an old one. Nest- a huge structure made of thick branches, located near the top of a tall, often dead-topped tree. In places where there are no such trees, the osprey settles in alder groves and even nests on rocks or on the ground. In calm and fish-rich areas, osprey nests are sometimes located close to one another, but usually the hunting and nesting area of ​​each pair occupies several square kilometers.
Masonry from 2-3, sometimes 4 eggs, motley, measuring 61.5x46.3 millimeters, ending in the middle zone around mid-May. Incubation lasts 26-28 days. About halfway through July (that is, after 8.5 weeks) chicks rise on wings. The young feed exclusively on fish; sometimes the nest is completely littered with prey brought by the old people.
For about a month after the chicks have fledged, ospreys stay in or near the nesting area, but in September and October they gradually fly off South.

On our website you can read guide to ornithology: anatomy and morphology of birds, bird nutrition, bird reproduction, bird migrations and bird diversity.

In the non-profit online store of the Ecosystem Ecological Center you can purchase following teaching materials on ornithology:
computer(electronic) bird identification guide for central Russia, containing descriptions and images of 212 bird species (bird drawings, silhouettes, nests, eggs and calls), as well as a computer program for identifying birds found in nature,
pocket reference guide "Birds of the middle zone",
"Field guide to birds" with descriptions and images (drawings) of 307 species of birds in central Russia,
colored definition tables"Birds of Passage" and "Wintering Birds", as well as
MP3 disc"Voices of birds of central Russia" (songs, cries, calls, alarm signals of the 343 most common species of central Russia, 4 hours 22 minutes) and
MP3 disc"Voices of birds of Russia, part 1: European part, Ural, Siberia" (B.N. Veprintsev's music library) (singing or mating sounds, calls, signals when disturbed and other sounds that are most important in the field identification of 450 bird species in Russia, duration playing time 7 hours 44 minutes)

Osprey is a bird of prey, belonging to the osprey family, living in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres.

The family consists of one genus, one species and four subspecies. In the Northern Hemisphere, these birds are found in Newfoundland, Florida, Alaska, the United States and the Gulf Coast. In South America, the osprey lives in the southern regions of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

In summer, these birds of prey are found almost throughout Europe. They fly to Iceland and Scandinavia. They spend the winter in North Africa. In addition, the osprey is found in Australia, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands. Favorite wintering destinations are Southern China, East Asia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Osprey appearance

The body length of this bird is 60 centimeters. The wingspan is 180 centimeters.

Females are larger than males, they weigh about 2 kilograms, while males weigh about 1.6 kilograms.

The plumage of females is darker than that of males. These birds have long wings. The upper body is brown, and the belly and chest are light gray. Around the neck you get a kind of speckled necklace. The beak and paws are black. There are brown stripes on the sides of the head.

Osprey behavior and nutrition

These are solitary birds, they form pairs only during the mating season, and the rest of the time the birds live and hunt alone. The main source of food for ospreys is fish. The predator flies above the surface of the water, at an altitude of about 30 meters, and looks for prey. Having discovered the prey near the transparent surface of the water, the osprey descends and grabs it with its paws. The paws have sharp claws and additional spines that help hold slippery fish. To take off, the osprey flaps its wings vigorously and rises into the air.

Osprey mainly hunts fish whose body length is 25-35 centimeters and weighs 150-300 grams. But these predators can lift prey weighing up to 2 kilograms into the air.

Listen to the voice of an osprey

These birds hunt not only fish, but also rodents, rabbits, other birds and small reptiles.

Reproduction and lifespan

Ospreys mate for life. Birds living in the Northern Hemisphere migrate south for nesting periods. Birds living in the southern hemisphere do not migrate, but live in the same territory throughout the entire time.

For northern ospreys, the mating season begins in April-May, and for “southerners” in February-March. Males are the first to arrive at the nesting sites, and females arrive a few days later. Established pairs find each other, and free males court young females.

The female builds the nest, and the male looks for building material for the nest. These birds build their nests in tree forks, on rock ledges and on artificial platforms that people make especially for these birds.

The first artificial bird platforms appeared in New Jersey, and then residents of other regions adopted this tradition. This is a common tradition; for example, in Russia, people have built birdhouses for birds since ancient times. Osprey, like the starling, also has the right to an artificial nest site.

The nest is built from branches, sticks and seaweed. Pairs use their nests for many years, updating them over time. Females lay 2-4 eggs, which are slightly larger in size than a tennis ball. The weight of one egg is 60 grams. The eggs are white with brown spots.

Females incubate the eggs for 5 weeks. The body of newborn chicks is covered with white down; after 10 days it darkens and becomes dark gray. At birth, the weight of the chicks is 60 grams. The chicks begin to fly after 10 weeks. At 3 years old, ospreys reach sexual maturity.

The lifespan of these birds is 8-10 years, but some representatives of the species can live up to 20-25 years. Among ospreys there are long-livers, living about 30 years. About 20 adults out of 100 die each year.

Watching an osprey hunting is a breathtaking sight. It seems to hover above the surface of the water, quickly working its wings, and abruptly rushes down as soon as it notices the victim. The osprey differs from all representatives of the order Falconiformes in its specific appearance.

Short description

Body size: 55-70 centimeters.

Weight: 1.5-2 kilograms.

Wingspan: 150-165 centimeters.

Plumage: dark black-gray back, white underside. There is a transverse pockmarked stripe on the chest. On the white head it has a wide black stripe passing through the eyes.

The wings are wide and long, black at the folds.

The beak is dark gray, with a curved end. The eyes are yellow.

The tarsus is without feathers, white or light gray. The fingers have thick and sharp claws.

It eats only fish. Capable of diving to depths.

Habitats

Found in Europe and Asia, North America, Australia.

In Russia it lives from the west of Kamchatka to the Kuril Islands.

Osprey nests in the estuarine areas of rivers that flow into the Black Sea, in floodplain zones with woody vegetation, and in the deltas of the Kuban River.

The migrating osprey was spotted in the Azov region, on the Black Sea, in the lower reaches of the Kuban River - places with an unlimited food supply.

Population size and factors influencing it

350-400 pairs nest in the Russian Federation, of which only 3-4 were seen in the Krasnodar Territory. The global population numbers up to 30 thousand pairs of ospreys. The bird is listed in the Red Book as a species in critical condition.

Osprey nests on the tops of trees that grow a short distance from bodies of water. The nest is large: up to 1 meter in diameter, height reaches 70 centimeters. The lining is made from moss, tree rhizomes, and peat.

There are 2-4 eggs in the clutch, which the bird incubates for 35 days, constantly being in the nest. Only the male provides food at this time. The chicks fly out at 8 weeks of age.

The main limiting factors are:

• nutritional specifics;
• reduction of fish stocks in rivers;
• cutting down floodplain forests;
• disturbance of nests;
• shooting by hunters and fishermen.

Shooting of ospreys is prohibited. Explanatory work is being carried out among tourists visiting nesting areas about the need to protect the endangered fauna.

There are many varieties of birds in nature, including the most amazing ones. These can be both familiar birds and completely rare species. It is in the latter category that the bird called the osprey, or osprey, belongs. Today, as part of our article, we will get acquainted with this amazing creature, consider what makes the Osprey bird remarkable, what it looks like, where it lives and what it eats, as well as why this feathered predator is on the verge of extinction.

Appearance

Externally, the bird differs from other representatives of its species. The description of the osprey bird is quite characteristic, and it is not easy to confuse this feathered predator with other inhabitants of the sky. Looking at the photo of the osprey bird, its size immediately catches your eye. The osprey bird is quite large:

• Its wingspan reaches 1.8 m.
• Body length 0.6 m.
• The mass of an individual varies from 1.6 to 2 kg.

Females weigh more than males.

What does an osprey bird look like? Its back is dark, and its chest and belly are almost white. Males are lighter than females. Another sign by which a female can be identified is a kind of “necklace” of specks on the chest.

On the sides of the head, starting from the eyes, there is a characteristic stripe of dark feathers. The wings are dark brown. The legs and beak are black. The feathers are hard and have water-repellent properties. Young individuals differ from older ones by being more spotted. The eye membranes of young individuals are orange-red. The birds' voice is abrupt and sharp, reminiscent of the sound "kai-kai".

The nostrils of these birds have peculiar valves that serve as protection against the ingress of water. The legs are strong, the tail is short, the fingers end in sharp claws. Under the claws there are spiked pads that allow the osprey to hold slippery prey. The hind and middle toes are the same length. The outer finger is reversible. Such adaptations are not accidental. The fishing bird Osprey is an aquatic predator whose main diet is fidgety and slippery fish. It can be quite difficult to wriggle out with such a grip.

Living conditions

Despite the fact that representatives of this species of birds are relatively few in number, they are distributed across all continents of the planet, except Antarctica. It is not known whether sea eagles nest on the South American continent, but they winter in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. Birds of prey love to nest in winter on islands in the Red Sea and in Egypt.

The osprey fishing bird winters on the Indonesian islands, the Philippines and Malaysia. Sometimes the sea eagle is caught on the territory of Australia and the islands of Melanesia (for example, on the Solomon Islands). These birds have completely mastered the North American continent. They are found along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, in Florida and even in Alaska. The summer habitat of ospreys reaches northern latitudes. In Europe these are Iceland and Scandinavia.

The Osprey bird of prey prefers to settle along the banks of shallow bodies of water - lakes, rivers and swamps. The main part of their diet is fish.

Osprey nests at some distance from bodies of water (about 3-5 km), but sometimes they make their homes on small islands or on coastal rocks. The main condition is that the nest site be sufficiently safe and inaccessible to predators. Birds fly away from their nests at a distance of 14-15 km. If individuals do not have offspring, they travel less.

Nutrition

It is no coincidence that ospreys are called sea eagles. These are fishing birds. Fish makes up about 98% of their diet. They do not have any specific food preferences. The predator's prey can be fish, which can be seen from the height of the bird's flight.

Sea eagle hunting is a fascinating and very beautiful spectacle. Ospreys ambush very rarely. In most cases, they look for fish in flight, from a height of 10-30 m. Having seen a potential victim, the bird quickly descends with its wings laid back and its clawed paws extended forward. At this moment, the feathered predator resembles a super-fast fighter. The calculation is so accurate that the fish has virtually no chance of escape.

According to ornithologist statistics, the percentage of successful osprey dives reaches 75%. The bird catches fish not with its beak, but with its claws. It dives to a shallow depth, grabs its prey and, with a powerful flap of its wings, abruptly breaks away from the water. The osprey holds the fish tightly with the help of special spikes on its paws. At the same time, she easily carries prey almost equal to her in mass. The victim can weigh from 0.1 to 2 kg. The sea eagle holds the fish in front with one paw, and in the back with the other.

The feathers of representatives of this species are water-repellent, so after immersion in water the bird retains the ability to fly. Sometimes the predator dives quite deep. In this case, the Osprey bird, moving its wings, shakes off excess water and takes off.

However, hunting for feathered predators is not without known risks. If the prey is too strong and massive, the feathered hunter may dive deep into the water. He cannot free himself from prey: the grip of his claws is almost dead. At the same time, the sea eagle chokes in the water and drowns.

Sometimes ospreys diversify their diet with small rodents and reptiles. In the tropics, the predator sometimes indulges itself even with small crocodiles. An important condition: ospreys do not eat carrion. Food must be fresh. The source of water for them is still the same fresh fish.

Where did the name come from

So why was the bird named osprey? Translated from the Kolyma language, the word “osprey” means “fisherman” or “aquatic hunter”. By diving into the water and sinking their claws into their prey, sea eagles obtain food for themselves. Representatives of this species form a separate family, consisting of one biospecies, in the order Accipitridae.

Why sea eagles are rare

Unfortunately, these interesting and very beautiful birds are not often found in the animal world. Why has the osprey become a rare bird? Their numbers decreased especially dramatically by the beginning of the last century, due to the uncontrolled destruction of birds of prey. The widespread shooting was motivated by the fact that birds of prey cause damage to agriculture and hunting grounds. It was only in 1964 that the destruction of raptors was prohibited in Russia. However, the number of ospreys could not be restored. One of the reasons is the use of organochlorine pesticides, which were ingested by predators with fish.

Only in recent years the number of birds of this species has increased slightly. As before, the limiting factors are:

• Uncontrolled shooting.
• Destruction of nests.
• Declining fish stocks.
• Pollution of water bodies, reduction of their transparency. Of considerable importance is the ingress of heavy metal salts and plant protection products into water bodies, which have a detrimental effect on fish.

Osprey - Bird of the Year 2018

There is a good tradition in Russia: every year is celebrated under the sign of some protected bird. The osprey became such a favorite of 2018. A beautiful and strong predator is the embodiment of the greatness of nature. Choosing the Osprey as the 2018 Bird of the Year is a way to draw people's attention to this perfect creation of nature. The same applies to other rare inhabitants of our planet.

And below is a fascinating video about how the Osprey bird hunts - be sure to watch!