osprey

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus).

Osprey catching a fish.

Restoring Germany's wetlands: A boost for wildlife

Osprey carrying Spanish moss for use in a nest.

Osprey perching on a nest.

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) with young at nest.

Modifications for specialized types of flight among falconiforms.

Feet shapes of some falconiform birdsThe moderately powerful foot of a lammergeier (Gypaetus); the fish-gripping foot of an osprey (Pandion), with reversible outer toe and rough spicules on the soles; the extremely powerful foot of a harpy eagle (Harpia); the generalized raptorial foot of a buzzard (Buteo); the weak foot of a New World vulture (Cathartes); the foot of a short-toed eagle (Circaetus), for gripping snakes; the foot of a bird-catching goshawk (Accipiter), with long toes and talons; and the foot of a secretary bird (Sagittarius), adapted for walking.

Read Next

Common, or southern, cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).

8 Birds That Can’t Fly

Hungry Pelican waiting to be fed, beak open, Australia

Why Don’t Birds Have Teeth?

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World

Spider monkey swinging in a tree. (primate, jungle animal)

Why Do Animals Have Tails?

Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) in mid-flight.

11 Questions About Birds Answered

Discover

US Marines firing at Fallujah, Iraq, during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004. Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq War.

Timeline of the 2000s

Happy, smiling, flying pig

7 Everyday English Idioms and Where They Come From

Poker game. Card game. Royal Flush in poker. Hearts suit gambling

Poker Hands Ranked

Gutzon Borglum. Presidents. Sculpture. National park. George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. Theodore Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota.

9 Memorials and Monuments in the United States

Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.

7 Deadliest Weapons in History

Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species

Aurochs. Bos primigenius. Skeleton. Extinct animal. Skeleton of an Aurochs, an extinct wild ox.

6 Animals We Ate Into Extinction

osprey: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Welsh rugby crisis: Ospreys and Scarlets accuse WRU of funding U-turn • May 20, 2025, 2:17 AM ET (BBC)

Lions 29-28 Ospreys: Last-gasp try denies visitors rare South African win • May 16, 2025, 2:17 AM ET (BBC)

Scarlets and Ospreys seek clarity before signing new PRA deal • May 10, 2025, 4:09 AM ET (BBC)

Ospreys lay first egg 'in 250 years' in mid-Wales • Apr. 26, 2025, 4:35 AM ET (BBC)

Facts

Also Known As	fish hawk • Pandion haliaetus

Photos and Videos

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus).

Osprey catching a fish.

Osprey carrying Spanish moss for use in a nest.

Osprey perching on a nest.

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) with young at nest.

Modifications for specialized types of flight among falconiforms.

Feet shapes of some falconiform birdsThe moderately powerful foot of a lammergeier (Gypaetus); the fish-gripping foot of an osprey (Pandion), with reversible outer toe and rough spicules on the soles; the extremely powerful foot of a harpy eagle (Harpia); the generalized raptorial foot of a buzzard (Buteo); the weak foot of a New World vulture (Cathartes); the foot of a short-toed eagle (Circaetus), for gripping snakes; the foot of a bird-catching goshawk (Accipiter), with long toes and talons; and the foot of a secretary bird (Sagittarius), adapted for walking.

Restoring Germany's wetlands: A boost for wildlife

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

hawk red-tailed hawk goshawk harrier buzzard accipiter sparrowhawk What Are the Differences Between Hawks and Falcons?

Quiz

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

turkey vulture. vulture. Close-up of a head and beak of a Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).

A Little Bird Told Me

vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.

Animal Factoids

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz

pigeon. pigeon and dove. member of the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae

Ultimate Bird Trivia Quiz

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.

Ultimate Animals Quiz

Birds, Birds, Birds Quiz

List

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World

White-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) at Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. (birds)

15 of the Best Birdsongs (According to Britannica)

Common, or southern, cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).

8 Birds That Can’t Fly

Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) in mid-flight.

11 Questions About Birds Answered

Demystified

Black-headed gulls perching on a roof with bird droppings, often seen in flocks around London, England, in winter time. The "black head" develops during the breeding season. (black headed, birds, guano, bird poop)

Do Birds Pee?