Page 123 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

BIRDS OF PREY
Order Accipitriformes Family Pandionidae Species Pandion haliaetus
Osprey whitish crown
black stripe
through eye
dark brown upperparts
glides on (bright buff feather
kinked wings edges on juvenile)
ADULT

long, broad
wings
ADULT black patch
on underwings
short tail with
translucent
pale bands white
ADULT
IN FLIGHT underparts
bowed wings
while soaring
ADULT
large, sharp
FLIGHT: gull-like but strong with long, sailing blackish band claws
along midwings
glides; soars well.
etween a Buzzard and a large eagle in size, the
BOsprey is impressive, and yet sometimes easily
dismissed as a large immature gull at long range.
Should it hover and then plunge for a fish, such
uncertainty is quickly removed.Any reasonable view
would reveal its unique combination of shape and
pattern.The Osprey is rarely seen far from water,
although it does nest and perch well away from the
shore. It perches upright for hours at a time on a tree,
buoy, or offshore rock.
VOICE Loud yelps and repeated, high, liquid pyew
pyew pyew near nest.
NESTING Huge stick nest on trees or cliffs (in the
past, on ruined buildings); 2 or 3 eggs; 1 brood; CARRYING FISH
April–July. The Osprey hovers well but heavily over water, and catches prey in a
FEEDING Catches fish in steep dive. steep, headlong dive, swinging its feet forwards to grasp prey.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Breeds in wild and remote places
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL plain head in N Europe but much more
juvenile, similar in flight;
see p.212 adaptable in S. Appears in most
longer, plainer of Europe except for Iceland,
head from March to October, along
more pointed coasts and near large lakes
wings
and rivers.
SHORT-TOED EAGLE Seen in the UK
see p.127 JF M A M J JA S O N D
Length 52–60cm (20 1 ⁄2 –23 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 1.45–1.7m (4 3 ⁄4 –5 1 ⁄2ft) Weight 1.2–2kg (2 3 ⁄4 –4 1 ⁄2lb)
Social Family groups Lifespan Up to 30 years Status Rare
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