American Osprey 193 



pointed, the eighth and ninth primaries the longest ; tail short, less 

 than half the wing ; feet large and strong ; tarsus very little feathered ; 

 toes free to the base, covered with rough, granular, reticulate scales. 



The genus contains only one almost cosmopolitan species, which 

 has recently been divided into a number of local races, ore of which 

 is found throughout North America. 



American Osprey. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis. 



A.O.U. Checkhst no 364— Colorado Records— Ridgway 73, p. 186 ; 

 Scott 79, p. 96 ; Drew 85, p. 17 ; Morrison 89, p. 66 ; Cooke 97, pp. 18, 

 77, 160, 205 ; Rockwell 08, p. 163 ; Hersey & Rockwell 09, p. 117. 



Description. — Male — Above dark brown, blackish on the quills ; tail 

 with darker cross-bars and tipped with white ; the inner webs of all 

 but the central feathers barred with white and dark, but these disappear- 

 ing with age ; head, neck, and under-parts white ; the centre of the 

 crown and a postocular patch dark-brown ; breast slightly spotted with 

 brown ; iris yellow, cere, bill and claws bluish-black, legs greyish-blue. 

 Length 22-0 ; wing 19-0 ; tail 7-5 ; culmen 1-5 ; tarsus 2-3. 



The female is larger — wing about 20-5, and the chest is more heavily 

 spotted with brown. Young birds are darker than the adults, and are 

 mottled with white or buffy edges to the feathers above, and the tail 

 is more regularly barred. 



Distribution. — The whole of the United States north to Labrador, 

 Hudson Bay and Alaska, south to northern South America ; a summer 

 visitor only, north of the middle states. 



The Osprey is a not uncommon bird in suitable locahties in Colorado, 

 but naturally in a dry and somewhat arid country it is not numerous. 

 It is a simamer visitor, arriving from the south early in April — Loveland, 

 April 8th (W. G. Smith) — and nesting in the mountains up to about 

 9,000 feet. The following localities have been noticed — Barr, not 

 uncommon during migration (Hersey & Rockwell), Twin Lakes, 

 nesting (Scott), Blue River, nesting up to 8,500 feet (Carter), Salida, 

 April (Frey), Sweetwater Lake, common in spring and summer (Gilman 

 apud Cooke), Grand River, near Grand Junction, occasional (Rockwell), 

 La Plata co. (Morrison). 



Habits. — The Osprey, generally known as the Fish- 

 Hawk, is a gentle bird and never molests other species. 

 It even allows Grackles and other birds to build in the 

 interstices of its nest. Its food consists entirely of fishes, 

 which it captures for itself, hovering above the water 

 and descending at an angle with great velocity on its 



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