Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Águila Pescadora

Audio 2 (M. Oberle)

IDENTIFICATION: A large hawk: brown above and white below, with a white head and dark eye-stripe. Length: 55-58 cm.; weight: males 1,200-1,600 g., females 1,600-2,000 g.; wingspan: 145-170 cm.

VOICE: The call is a slow, high-pitched series of whistled notes. Audio 2 (M. Oberle).

HABITAT: Sea coasts, lakes, saltflats, mangroves, and along larger rivers, even in urban areas.

HABITS: The Osprey flaps 10-50 m above the water searching for fish, and then plunges, feet-first into the water to grab its prey. The Osprey’s anatomy is so specialized to capture fish that taxonomists classify it in its own subfamily (Pandioninae), distinct from other hawks. Its feet have thick scales with spikes on them that prevent fish from slipping off the extremely curved talons. The outer toe can point forward or backward to adjust the grip on fish. Ospreys typically fly with their fish catch held head-first. In addition to fish, the Osprey occasionally captures crustaceans, birds and rodents. Frigatebirds will sometimes steal fish from the Osprey. Birds found in Puerto Rico in the winter are from populations that breed in North America. Both sexes build a huge stick nest and typically raise 1-2 young in a brood. Incubation is done mostly by the female for 35-43 days. After the eggs hatch, the male brings fish to the female who then feeds the chicks. The young fledge about 50 days after hatching. The Osprey can start breeding at 3 years of age, but 2/3 of the chicks do not survive to breed.

STATUS AND CONSERVATION: The Osprey is a winter visitor to Puerto Rico. Its North American breeding population crashed in the mid-20^th Century after environmental contamination by the insecticide DDT caused eggshell thinning. With the banning of the pesticide, the Osprey is recovering (breeding populations increased by 6.5% per year between 1966-1995). Sightings have become increasingly common in coastal Puerto Rico in winter, including on the Cabo Rojo Chistmas Bird Count. Ospreys have been banded as far away as New York State and later recovered in Puerto Rico.

RANGE: Breeds in temperate latitudes from western Alaska to Florida, as well as in Cuba, Eurasia and coastal Australia. In the New World, it winters from the southern USA through the Caribbean and in coastal South America south to Chile and Argentina. Has attempted to breed in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. It can be seen over shallow Puerto Rican waters, even along urban coastlines such as Isla Verde.

TAXONOMY: FALCONIFORMES; ACCIPITRIDAE; Pandioninae. A light-headed, non-migratory race, Pandion haliaetus ridgwayi, breeds in the Florida Keys, Cuba, the Bahamas and Belize.

References

Arendt, W.J. 1992. Status of North American migrant landbirds in the Caribbean region: a summary. Pp. 143-171 in Ecology and conservation of neotropical migrant landbirds (J.M. Hagan III and D.W. Johnston, eds.) Smithsonian Instit. Press, Washington, D.C.

del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1994. Handbook of Birds of the World, Vol. 2, New World vultures to guineafowl. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birder’s handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster/Fireside, NY.

Ferguson-Lee, J. and D. A. Christie. 2001. Raptors of the world. Houghton Mifflin, NY.

Gessner, D. 2001. Return of the Osprey : a season of flight and wonder. Algonquin Books.

Johnsgard, P.A. 1990. Hawks, eagles, and falcons of North America: Biology and natural history. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington, DC.

Kirkconnell, A., and O. H. Garrido. 1997. El Guincho Norteamericano Pandion haliaetus carolinensis (Aves: Pandionidae) anidando en Cuba. El Pitirre 10:64.

Martell, M., C.S. Henny, P.E. Nye, and M.J. Solensky. 2001. Fall migration routes, timing and wintering sites of North American Ospreys as determined by satellite telemetry. Condor 103(4):715-724.

Pérez-Rivera, R.A. 1980. Algunas notas sobre migración de aves en Puerto Rico. Science-Ciencia 7(4):123-126.

Peterjohn, B.G., J.R. Sauer, and W.A. Link. 1996. The 1994 and 1995 summary of the North American breeding bird survey. Bird Populations 3:48-66.

Poole, A. F., R. O. Bierregaard, and M. S. Martell. 2002. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). In The Birds of North America, No. 683 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR.

Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton.

Rivera-Milán, F.F. 1995. Distribution and abundance of raptors in Puerto Rico. Wilson Bull. 107(3):452-462.

Saliva, J.E. 1994. Vieques y su fauna: Vieques wildlife manual. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Boquerón, PR.

Scholz, F. 1993. Birds of prey. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA.

Westall, M. A. 1986. Osprey. in Audubon Wildlife Report, 1986 (Eno, A. S. and R. L. Di Silvestro eds.) p.888-909. National Audubon Soc., NY.

Wiley, J.W. 1984. Status of the Osprey in the West Indies. In Proceedings of the southeastern U.S. and Caribbean Osprey symposium (Westall, M.A., ed.). International Osprey Foundation.

http://www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu/

http://www.ospreys.org.uk/

http://www.birdsofprey.org/migration.htm

International Osprey Foundation: http://www.ospreys.com/

Raptors in general in Puerto Rico: http://netdial.caribe.net/~falconpr/

Osprey, Spanish text

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