Osprey (bird)

   The osprey is a large bird, commonly known as the fish hawk, bald buzzard, or fishing eagle. The osprey is found throughout North America but prefers the South in the winter. The osprey dives feet first into the water and grips fish in its powerful talons. It is most often found along the coasts and near large lakes and rivers, but sometimes makes its home inland. It resembles the bald eagle but is smaller in size and has white underparts.
   The osprey is a large raptor, reaching more than 24 in (60 cm) in length and 71 in (180 cm) across the wings.
   The osprey is about two feet long, with a wing-spread of four feet from tip to tip. It is a rich brown color, and its tail is banded with brown and white. The upper parts of the head and neck are whitish, and the legs have a bluish cast.
   Females lay 2-4 eggs in large stick nests on top of trees, bushes, rock pinnacles, or rarely on the ground. Incubation lasts about 5 weeks. The male brings fish (the birds' main food) to his mate, and to the chicks until they are 6 weeks old. They fly when they are 8-10 weeks old.
Lifespan 5-15 years.
   The voice of the osprey is seldom heard but sounds like the peeping of baby chicks. Its nest looks like a bushel basket of sticks, built high in a dead tree, on a deserted building, or on the rocky ledge of a cliff.
As its other common name suggests, the Osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of fish.

Osprey