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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



OSPREY 



(Pandion haliactus carolinensis) 



Known ordinarily as the "fish hawk," 

 the osprey is found about large bodies of 

 water. Being dependent on fish for food, 

 it never strays far from water except dur- 

 ing casual wanderings when in migration. 

 Though it may eat an occasional water 

 snake or frog, practically all of its food 

 is composed of fish, most of which it cap- 

 tures alive. 



In fishing, the bird flies slowly from 30 

 to 100 feet above the water, scanning the 

 surface closely until a fish is sighted, when 

 it turns and drops swiftly, sometimes even 

 going beneath the surface. Rising with 

 its victim held firmly in both feet, the os- 

 prey pauses for an instant, supported by 

 broad-spread wings, to shake the water 

 from its plumage ; then flies to some perch 

 where its meal may be enjoyed. As it 

 rises, it adjusts its grip so that the fish is 

 carried end on, thus affording a minimum 

 of resistance to the air. 



FISH HAWKS ARE NOT EPICUREAN 

 IN THEIR TASTES 



Any fish of proper size that come near 

 the surface are taken. Toadfish are as 

 acceptable as other varieties. Such species 

 as menhaden, which go in large schools, 

 are favorites. In summer on Chesapeake 

 Bay I have seen fish hawks feeding regu- 

 larly on eels. 



The birds have habitual perches to which 

 they carry food, the ground beneath these 

 being strewn with fish bones accumulated 

 from many meals. Where fishermen sort 

 the catch from their nets, I have seen os- 

 preys gather in flocks to pick up discarded 

 dead fish, seizing these from the water or 

 picking them from the sandy beach. 



Occasionally ospreys are known to strike 

 fish too large for them to handle, and when 

 their claws become caught the birds are 

 pulled beneath the surface and drowned. 



In its fishing the osprey does not always 

 continue unmolested, as the bald eagle, also 

 with an appetite for fish, often resorts to 

 robbery. Watching until an osprey has 

 made its catch, the eagle descends on the 

 fish hawk, in an effort to make it give up 

 its prey, continuing in relentless pursuit 

 with broadly beating wings until the 

 smaller bird drops the booty. 



If an osprey is obstinate, the eagle finally 

 strikes, knocking it through the air to make 



it release the catch. As the fish falls, the 

 eagle descends swiftly to seize it in the air, 

 or picks it up from the surface of the 

 water. On rare occasions an osprey with 

 a small fish may escape, but ordinarily the 

 bird is so burdened that its flight is ham- 

 pered to a point where it can make no defi- 

 nite resistance. 



Where two eagles combine in this rob- 

 bery, the case is hopeless, for, wherever 

 the osprey turns, one of the eagles is soon 

 upon it and it can find no avenue of escape. 

 The plate illustrates the beginning of such 

 a scene, with one eagle descending on an 

 osprey that has just made its catch, and 

 another swinging about in the background. 



Relieved of its catch, the osprey may 

 strike angrily at the robber, but the larger 

 bird easily wards off such blows with its 

 broad wings. Occasionally, however, the 

 tables are turned, for when ospreys gather 

 in colonies several may band together and 

 harry marauding eagles from the vicinity. 



The nest of the osprey ordinarily is a 

 huge structure of sticks, cornstalks, weeds, 

 and other rubbish, placed in the top of a 

 tree, on a rock ledge, on the summit of a 

 pinnacle rock, or occasionally on the roof 

 of a building or chimney. It may also 

 place the nest on the ground. 



Frequently grackles, night herons, and 

 English sparrows place their nests in the 

 base of the huge structure occupied by the 

 osprey. The larger bird pays no attention 

 to its smaller neighbors.* 



OSPREYS RANGE OVER A LARGE PART OP 

 THE NEW WORLD 



The eggs, from two to four, with three 

 making the usual set, are creamy white, 

 spotted and blotched with brown and lav- 

 ender. With their rich colors and bold 

 markings, they are among the handsom- 

 est eggs found in this order of birds. 



The osprey is easily distinguishable at 

 a distance from the eagle and from other 

 hawks by its white breast and long, angu- 

 lar wings. 



It breeds from Alaska, Hudson Bay, 

 and Nova Scotia to Baja California and 

 the Florida Keys, wintering from Flor- 

 ida and Baja California to the West In- 

 dies and South America. Allied races are 

 found in the Bahamas and in the Old 

 World. 



* See "Photographing the Nest Life of the 

 Osprey," by Capt. C. W. R. Knight, in the Na- 

 TioNAi, Geographic Magazine for August, 1932.. 



