OSPREYS Essay, Research Paper

My report is about the osprey. The osprey is a carnivore , it eats mostly fish. Ospreys

have another name, fish hawk. It has that name because ninety per cent of their diet is fish. They

have long, curved talons and scaly feet to help grip the fish. They have been seen swimming low

over water after eating, perhaps to clean their talons after eating.

Ospreys live in four continents, North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Ospreys

begin nesting in early springtime. Their nests can weigh up to half a ton! When the babies are

growing, the dad has to work very hard. He has to spend one fourth of the day getting food for

babies. To be able to do that he has to eat twice as much as usual. When the male bird brings a

fish, the female pecks at it and rips it apart so the babies can eat it. When the babies are a month

old they are already 70 to 80% of their adult weight.

The osprey doesn’t have very many enemies because not very many birds or animals can

beat the osprey in a fight. Eggs are sometimes eaten by hawks, eagles, or owls, but flying

predators are not a big threat to the osprey. In North America, the greatest enemy of the osprey isthe raccoon. The raccoon is very smart so it can get to the eggs and steal them. To help save theeggs people are now putting steal platforms on the tree or pole to trick the raccoons. If the

osprey builds its nest on a tree that is sticking out of the water, it won’t be as easy for the raccoonto get to the nest.

The osprey is a unique bird. It is related to the hawk and eagle, but scientists put it in it’sown special group. The underside of an osprey is white, while the feathers on the back are very

dark brown. There heads are white, with black marks across the cheeks and on the crown.