Features& Description
The Osprey, Latin for “Pandion haliaetus”, is a medium-sized bird of prey with long, narrow wings. A member of the eagle family, it is an exclusively fish-eating bird with white and brown plumage.
The white breast contrasts sharply with the uniformly brown wings. The white head is crossed by a distinctive brown-black line at eye level.
Its long, powerful claws enable it to seize fish in flight.
Habitat(Biotope)
It lives mainly near aquatic environments such as streams, rivers, large ponds and lakes. It takes advantage of these environments to nest.
Behavior& habits
A migrant from the southern Sahara, it settles near its fishing grounds during the breeding season. In pairs, their spectacular courtship displays are punctuated by great ascension flights of up to 300m, with a fish in their talons, followed by a dive, wings closed.
It fishes by diving into the water, using its large wing to get out of the water.
Reproductionand immature
The Osprey builds a very large nest in tall trees near its fishing area or on headlands, which is reused every year.
The female can lay up to 3 eggs, which hatch after 35 to 40 days.
Juveniles leave the nest after around fifty days.
Cryor Voice
During courtship, it emits a high-pitched, sometimes hoarse “u-ilp u-ilp u-ilp” chirping whistle. The contact call is short and in the form of a loud, explosive whistle.
Osprey Richard Boucher
