Osprey Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Ospreys are very large, distinctively shaped hawks. Despite their size, their bodies are slender, with long, narrow wings and long legs. Ospreys fly with a marked kink in their wings, making an M-shape when seen from below.

  Relative Size

  Smaller than a Bald Eagle; larger and longer-winged than a Red-tailed Hawk.

  goose-sized or larger

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 21.3-22.8 in (54-58 cm)
    • Weight: 49.4-70.5 oz (1400-2000 g)
    • Wingspan: 59.1-70.9 in (150-180 cm)

  © Ferit Başbuğ / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Ospreys are brown above and white below, and overall they are whiter than most raptors. From below, the wings are mostly white with a prominent dark patch at the wrists. The head is white with a broad brown stripe through the eye. Juveniles have white spots on the back and buffy shading on the breast.

• Behavior

  Ospreys search for fish by flying on steady wingbeats and bowed wings or circling high in the sky over relatively shallow water. They often hover briefly before diving, feet first, to grab a fish. You can often clearly see an Osprey's catch in its talons as the bird carries it back to a nest or perch.
• Habitat

  Look for Ospreys around nearly any body of water: saltmarshes, rivers, ponds, reservoirs, estuaries, and even coral reefs. Their conspicuous stick nests are placed in the open on poles, channel markers, and dead trees, often over water.