30 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



AMERICAN OSPREY 



A. O, \/. jVo. 364. {"Pandion halaeilus carolinenjij.) 



RANGE. 



North America, from Hudson bay and Alaska to the West Indies 

 and northern South America. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Length, about 25 inches; extent of wings, from 50 to 56 inches; tail, 

 9.5 inches. 



Adult, Male and Female. — General color above, dark brown; under 

 side of wing, white, barred with brown; top of head, brown, mottled 

 with white bases to the feathers, which are pointed at the tips. A 

 broad white streak extends from behind the eye down to the side of the 

 neck; remainder of head and under parts, white; tail above, light brown, 

 barred with dark; bill, black; feet, bluish gray; eyes yellow. 



Young. — Similar to adult, except that the feathers of the back are 

 edged with white, and the back of head is whiter. 



NEST AND EGGS. 



The nest is generally placed in the top of a dead tree and is a very 

 cumbersome affair, being built of large sticks, twigs, and sea-weed. 

 In localities where trees are scarce, the ospreys nest on the ground, or 

 on cliffs and ledges. 



In Florida, nesting commences about the first of February; in Cali- 

 fornia, early in April; in New England, in May and June. 



The eggs are from two to four in number; the ground color is creamy 

 white, thickly blotched and spotted with various shades of brown. 

 These markings vary greatly in size and amount, and in some cases 

 completely obscure the ground color. 



HABITS. 



The American osprey, sea-eagle, any day, circling slowly up the 



or fish-hawk, as it is commonly creek or river in search of his 



called, is one of the best known of food, which, as his name implies, 



American birds. He comes from consists wholly of fish. After 



his winter quarters in the south wheeling about for a short time at 



the latter part of March, and his a height of perhaps 60 to 75 feet 



coming is regarded by seafaring above the water, his vigilance is 



people as a sign that winter is rewarded, and he sees a finny 



breaking up. creature near the surface. Pois- 



He is never found far from ing himself for an instant, he 



water, and can be observed almost closes his wings and darts down- 



