WHAT MAKES A BIRD OF

PRAY A BIRD OF PRAY???

B Y DI X

I E B

A R N E S

BIRD OF PREYBirds of prey, or raptors, are meat eaters and use their feet,

instead of their beak, to capture prey. They have exceptionally good vision, a sharp, hooked beak, and powerful feet with curved, sharp talons.

THE OSPREY

Osprey has a body length of 21 - 24 inches, a 5 - 6 foot wingspan, and weighs 2 1/2 - 4 1/2 pound. They have 24 in) in length . The caricteistics of the osprey is it can dive in the water with out choking .

HEIGHT AND WING SPAN

WERE THE OSPREY LIVEThe osprey lives throughout the world like lakes, rivers,

marshes, mangroves, and seashores. They do migrate and when they migrate they so to south Dakota.

REPRODUCTIONThe mails normally attract the female by singing to the female.

the female lays 2 - 4 eggs that are incubated for 35 - 40 days. The chicks tend to hatch sequentially, 1 - 5 days apart. The young fledge at about 7 - 8 weeks of age, but are usually dependent on the parents until the fall migration. The mail normally stays with the female.

THE SCIENTIFIC NAME FOR THE OSPREYThe common name is from the Latin word ossifragus, meaning

"a bone breaker." Ospreys have also been called Sea Hawks and Fish Hawks. :The scientific name comes from the mythical king of Athens, Pinion, whose daughters were turned into birds, and the Greek words halos,

THERE DIET They mostly eat fish and they can dive 30 to 120 in to the

water to get its pray . and occasionally hovers to search for prey. a wide variety of fish species. The Osprey uses low, slow flights over water, and occasionally hovers to search for prey. When a fish is spotted, they also hang the fish by a dead tree branch and then they will eat the fish.

THE NATURAL ENEMIES OF THE OSPREY Eagles like fish and, when the opportunity presents itself,

would rather take one from an osprey than catch one itself. Many observers have reported seeing eagles swoop down upon an osprey to steal the fish it is carrying. The osprey may drop its catch right away or it may try some evasive tactics. But dodging an eagle while carrying a fish is not easy, and sooner or later the osprey drops the fish and the eagle catches it in midair.

THE DDT The osprey has two enemies. One is pesticides -- the species

was nearly done in by DDT and the like a few decades ago. It has bounced back and is now regarded, not as endangered, but threatened.

IS THE OSPREY ENDANGERED No. They are not on the endangered species list. However, the

osprey is more common in some places than others, but as a species they are doing well

THE OSPREY CALL AND VIDEOCall

video

PICTURES OF THE OSPREY