THE ANIMAL FILES

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Feet first, fish next: a raptor built around a slippery catch.

The osprey finds fish from the air and plunges feet first to seize them. Its toes, feet and plumage help explain how a flying bird repeatedly crosses the air–water boundary to obtain a meal.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Osprey
Image: El Golli Mohamed · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Main food
Fish[1]
Entry
Feet first[1]
Grip
Reversible outer toes and rough toe surfaces[1]

Find, hover, plunge

A fish is located from above before a brief hover and downward plunge. The feet enter first, and the bird may become partly or fully submerged. A nearby perch can then become the place where the catch is eaten.[1]

A grip for wet prey

The outer toe can turn to change the grip, while small sharp projections beneath the toes help hold fish. Closable nostrils and dense oily plumage also suit repeated entries into water.[1]

Migration depends on the population

Many northern breeders move to warmer regions outside the breeding season, while some populations remain resident. Tracking shows different routes and schedules; being an osprey does not impose one universal journey.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Do all ospreys undertake the same migration?

No. Populations include migrants and residents, and individual schedules vary.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why does a fish-eating bird need more than sharp talons?

Reveal the explanation

It must grip a slippery animal and cope with entering water. Toe arrangement, rough surfaces and protective plumage contribute different functions.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Osprey (fixed revision; adapted and translated)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Pandion haliaetus (identity and classification)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

Andean condorA huge bird can travel on rising air.Vultur gryphus ↗Golden eagleGolden at the nape, variable through youth.Aquila chrysaetos ↗Black vultureA soaring scavenger can find a meal by watching another scavenger.Coragyps atratus ↗