Osprey

• It feeds almost exclusively on live fish, caught by plunging feet-first into the water.
• It has reversible outer toes and spiny scales on the soles of its feet, adaptations unique among birds of prey.
• It recovered after being severely affected by DDT in the mid-twentieth century.
• anatomíaIt has a reversible outer toe that lets it grip slippery fish from any angle in flight.
• distribuciónIt is one of the few birds of prey with an almost worldwide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica.
• anatomíaIt has rough scales on the soles of its feet and curved talons specially adapted to grip slippery fish firmly in flight.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Coastal areas, lakes, rivers and reservoirs across almost the entire world except Antarctica

Birth weight

~50 grams at hatching

Size at birth

Covered in down and completely dependent at hatching

Sexual maturity

3 years

Gestation / incubation

35-43 days

Litter / clutch size

2 to 4 eggs per clutch (most commonly 3)

Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info) · Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Bilderreich · The Animal Facts · USDA Forest Service FEIS · A-Z Animals · Animal Diversity Web · BioKIDS