The wings themselves are also white underneath, but the longer primaries, secondaries and under-secondary coverts are striped like the tail feathers. The tail is dark on top, striped underneath, and gives the appearance of a rounded fan when spread. The osprey’s underside and head are primarily white, while the tops of the wings and back are dark brown. The head is primarily white, with a broad band of feathers stretching from in front of the eyes to the back of the head, whereas a buzzard has a dark head. It can also grasp and carry large sticks for its nesting material and it can grab and fly off with fish from up to 1m below the surface of the water, an incredible feat.Īn osprey’s plumage often prompts confusion for viewers, who regularly mistake the osprey for a buzzard. Together, these characteristics, combined with its powerful wings, allow the osprey to catch and carry fish that weigh nearly as much as it does. Each talon is nearly cylindrical, rounded on the top and bottom, while most other birds of prey have flat or indented spaces on the underside of the talons. The black talons, like the toes, are different from those of most other birds of prey. This sandpaper-like texture gives the bird a surer grasp, and resembles Velcro to provide a firm grip on wet, slippery fish. The bottom of the toes are very rough to the touch because of the small spiky wart-like projections called spicules that cover them. With four equal toes, one capable of pointing forward or backward, ospreys’ feet look more like an owl’s foot than that of its closer relatives, hawks and eagles.Įach toe is armed with long, sharply curved talons that resemble fish hooks, for grasping and holding fish in flight. The legs are heavily muscled, with short heavy thighs which are covered in short, dense feathers, and the toes, feet and lower legs are covered with heavy white, light grey, greenish or yellow scales. The legs and foots of an osprey are unlike that of any other hawk. This is a semi-transparent membrane which is used to protect the eye during the dive for fish – built in water-goggles or “contact lens” for when they are underwater. They can be closed completely when the osprey dives into water!Īs well as supremely good eyesight ospreys, like many other birds, have a third eyelid.
The nostrils, which take on an arched shaped when open, are located in this area. The bill is entirely black, although the cere – the fleshy or waxy structure at the base of the upper bill – is light blue to grey. The tongue is thin and flat, like a long spoon, and mirrors the shape of the lower jaw. The mouth is thin in the front, like the spout of a funnel, but stretches dramatically at the back, and its walls allow for opening the mouth wide. The upper bill comes to a sharp point below the lower jaw.
The upper bill forms a distinctive hook over the lower jaw, which is V-shaped or funnel-like.
The bill or beak, although less than an inch long, is the perfect tool for tearing apart fish. Like most birds of prey, the osprey has a large hooked beak for tearing its prey.
Its bone structure is different from other birds of prey, and its feet are more like an owl’s than a hawk’s. Although the osprey is a skilled flyer and hunter, like other raptors, it is truly unique among hawks physiologically.