OSPREY FACTS

Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus)

Habitat:  Shorelines, marshes, rivers and open waters

Ospreys are found on every continent except Antarctica

The Chesapeake Bay supports the largest breeding population of ospreys in the world

Fish make up 99% of their diet

They are a conservation success story.  They were decimated between the 1950s and 1970s due to DDT.  DDT poisoning resulted in thinning egg shells which reduced the number of eggs hatching and caused a dwindling population.   Once this was discovered, DDT was banned and the population quickly recovered.

Ospreys are a large bird of prey with a chocolate brown back and a white or mottled underside. It has a pronounced crook in its long wings.  Its head is generally white with a dark eye stripe and yellow eyes.

The adult female is usually larger than the male and often has a brown “necklace” on her chest

Colonial Beach ospreys arrive from their wintering grounds in late February to early March

Ospreys mate for life

The female lays her eggs within 30 days of arrival

Eggs are incubated anywhere from 35 to 43 days

Chicks fledge between 50 and 55 days old

Ospreys generally begin their migration to their wintering grounds between late August and mid-September.  Mid Atlantic ospreys migrate as far as South America

Ospreys migrate alone, even juveniles.

The juveniles remain in their wintering grounds from 18 to 20 months