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 haliaétus carolinensis. 
A.0.U. Checklist 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 uncommen bird in suitable localities in Colorado, 
but naturally in a dry and somewhat arid country it is not numerous. 
It is a summer 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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