Osprey

Osprey
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Order	Accipitriformes
Sub-order	Accipitres
Family Information
Superfamily	Accipitroidea
Family	Pandionidae
Genus Information
Genus	Pandion
Species Information
Species	P. haliaetus
Population statistics
Population	500,000+ (2016 est.)
Conservation status	Least concern

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a species of bird of prey of the family Pandionidae, and commonly called "fish hawk" for their ability to dive completely in the water when catching prey.

Description

The osprey is fairly large, about 20–26 inches in length, with a wingspan of 50 to 71 inches, and weigh 2.0 to 4.6 pounds. Compared to males, osprey females are 20% heavier, and their wingspan is 5-10% larger. The long wings are characteristically curved downward in the region of the carpal joint. Feathers of the upper side of the body are brown; head and lower body are white; in the area of ​​the carpal joint there are dark brown spots, and a mottled necklace around the neck. On the side of the head there is a brown "mask" passing from the beak through the eye and neck. Beak is black with a blue cere, and the legs are light gray. Overall coloration and pattern varies among the subspecies. Juveniles are almost indistinguishable from adult birds, but look somewhat spotty due to the light brown tips of the feathers on the outer side of the wings and tail. Their spotted necklace is less pronounced, and the iris is orange-red, whereas in adult birds it is yellow. Juveniles take on adult plumage at their 18th month.

The osprey has several distinctive morphological features that allow it to hunt for fish. The legs of the osprey, unlike the legs of other birds of prey, are longer; the claws are long, convex and curved, the outer toe freely turns back, giving the bird a zygodactyl grasp which contributes to the capture of slippery fish. Feathers have a greasy, water-repellent structure, and nasal valves protect the nostrils from ingesting water when diving.

Name

The word "osprey" has its roots in the Middle English word ospray, which was carried over in the 15th century from the Anglo-French osfraie, based in turn upon the Latin ossifraga, which means "bone-breaker"; this apparently was referring to a superficial resemblance between it and a bird then called the ossifrage, which is today known as the lammergeier or bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), which, unlike the osprey, has been known to break up and consume bones. The species genus name commemorates a king of Greek mythology, Pandion.

Mentioned in Leviticus 11:13 and Deuteronomy 14:12, the osprey was not to be consumed by the Hebrews as it was considered an unclean animal.

Subspecies

Although called fish hawk, recent molecular genetic studies have confirmed the special status of the osprey within the order Accipitriformes, placed in a separate family Pandionidae. Although debate is ongoing, researchers have come to the conclusion that all four subspecies should be considered as species in their own right. Indeed, Australian authorities have, with some justification, granted full species status to P. h. cristatus as the eastern osprey, Pandion cristatus .

• Pandion haliaetus carolinensis; Canada to southern United States; winters south to Peru and Brazil
• Pandion haliaetus cristatus; coastal Australian mainland, Sulawesi, Java, New Guinea, New Caledonia
• Pandion haliaetus haliaetus; Palearctic Eurasia; winters to South Africa, India and Philippines
• Pandion haliaetus ridgwayi; Caribbean, including Bahamas, Cuba and Belize

Threats

Historically, the osprey has been threatened with extinction, with hunting and collecting cited for the species decline in much of Europe, and the use of pesticides (principally DDT) in North America which accounted for a 90% loss of the species population. An overall reduction of these factors combined with a ban on DDT in the early 1970s - aided by the bird's ability to tolerate nearby human activity - has enabled a comeback. Still, occasional shooting and windfarms have been cited as current threats.