Osprey

Pandion haliaetus
Wingspan

150–170cm

Body length

55–65cm

Weight

1,300–1,600g

Profile

Life expectancy
Clutch size
2–3 eggs
Global status
Activity
Migration

Identification

Long wings, conspicuously angled in flight, and pale underparts give an unmistakable flight silhouette. A dark stripe runs through the eye. The body looks slimmer than in the large sea eagles.

Colours

Plumage
Eyes
Legs & feet

Male

White head with a dark eye-stripe. The breast band is often faint or absent; the underwing coverts are usually less spotted than in the female. The sexes overlap.

Behaviour

It prefers to stay over open water. In courtship the male performs undulating display flights, sometimes with a fish in its talons. It mainly defends the immediate surroundings of the nest.

Breeding & rearing

The large stick nest needs a clear approach: treetops, pylons and nesting platforms are typical sites. Repeated additions let a nest grow over the years. Both parents help to feed the young.

Diet

Prey examples

Fish

The Osprey feeds almost exclusively on live fish. Other vertebrates or dead fish are very rare exceptions.

Hunting

Osprey: Search flight · Fishing · Plunge-diving · Scavenging
Search flightFishingPlunge-divingScavenging

It searches in flight for fish near the water surface. When attacking, it thrusts its talons forward and plunges feet-first into the water.

Distribution

Range

Almost worldwide

Status in Germany

Breeding birdPassage migrant

Habitat

Lakes, rivers and coasts rich in fish. Breeds in tall trees, on pylons and on special nesting platforms.

Large lake with reed-fringed shores and adjacent forest
Lakes & rivers
Rocky coast with open sea and wooded slopes
Coasts
Osprey