Osprey
Pandion haliaetus · Ospreys
Banding codeOSPR
Keys to identifying it
1Size & shape
About 22 in long.
2Color pattern
- White underparts and a dark eye stripe
- Crooked, M-shaped wings in flight
- Brown back
3Habitat & season
Reservoirs, rivers, lakes
In northern Utah: summer.
Seen most often in July and August.
Share of the region’s research-grade iNaturalist bird observations each month, scaled to this bird’s peak. Highlighted bars are its peak months.
4Voice
High, whistled chirps.
“a high, piping 'cheep-cheep'”
iNat 98943942 by Lyndsey · Florida, US · CC BY
Know it
- Eats almost only fish, plunging feet-first into the water.
- Has reversible outer toes and spiny foot pads for gripping slippery fish.
- Nests on platforms, power poles and dead trees near water.
- Found on every continent except Antarctica.
Often confused with
Great Blue Heron
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed HawkFrom iNaturalist identification data for northern Utah.
From Wikipedia
The osprey, historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and a wingspan of 180 cm (71 in). It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0