Juvenile Osprey Perched in a Tree

by Jeff Goulden

Title

Juvenile Osprey Perched in a Tree

Artist

Jeff Goulden

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is also known as sea hawk, river hawk and fish hawk. It is a large diurnal (as opposed to nocturnal) raptor whose diet consists mainly of fish that it dives for and catches. The adult osprey is brown on the upperparts and grayish white on the head and underparts. Their eyes are bright yellow. The juveniles are distinguished by having white on the tips of their wing feathers giving a barred appearance and orange colored eyes. The osprey lives in a wide variety of habitats as long as water is nearby to supply adequate fish for their diet. It may be found on all continents except Antarctica. The osprey has specialized physical characteristics and behavior to assist in hunting and catching prey. Among these are reversible outer toes with sharp spicules on the underside, closable nostrils to keep out water, barbed talons to help hold fish and dense oily plumage to prevent the feathers from getting waterlogged. They may be seen diving headfirst into the water to catch a fish. The osprey builds a large nest of twigs and small branches. They are usually located atop dead trees. American and Canadian osprey winter in South America, although some may stay in Florida and California. This juvenile osprey was photographed while perching on a branch near Walnut Canyon Lakes in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Uploaded

August 15th, 2020

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