osprey

Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Acronyms, Wikipedia.

osprey

(ŏs`prē), common name for a fish-eating bird of prey found near water in most parts of the world. The osprey, or fish hawk, Pandion haliaetus, has brown upperparts and a grayish white head and underparts. Its wingspread ranges from 4 to 6 ft (127 to 180 cm), depending on the subspecies. It feeds solely on live fish and is usually seen hovering over the water, into which it plunges feet first to grasp its prey. In the United States the use of DDT led to a significant drop in the osprey population by the 1960s, but after the pesticide was banned (1972) the population recovered. The birds will nest on artificial platforms, first provided in the 1960s to help protect young ospreys from predators. Ospreys are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Accipitriformes, family Pandionidae.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Osprey

(Pandion haliaetus), a bird of the family Accipitridae of the order Falconiformes. The osprey is about 60 cm long and weighs 1.3–1.9 kg. The plumage is brown above and brightly colored below. There are little spines under the toes to help the bird grip the slippery bodies of fish. Ospreys are widely distributed except in tropical Africa and South America. In the USSR they are found from the forest tundra to the country’s southern borders. The birds settle near lakes and streams abounding in fish. They obtain their prey by swooping down onto or, sometimes, into the water. An oil from the coccygeal gland prevents the feathers from becoming soaked. Ospreys nest in trees and, less commonly, on cliffs or on the ground. A clutch contains two or three eggs, which are incubated for about 35 days. Ospreys are becoming rare everywhere. The birds are sometimes classified as the separate family Pandionidae.

osprey

a large broad-winged fish-eating diurnal bird of prey, Pandion haliaetus, with a dark back and whitish head and underparts: family Pandioridae

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

References in periodicals archive ?

THE 11th year since ospreys returned to Northumberland has seen yet another record broken.

Record year for ospreys as heaviest chick is hatched

ONE of the Glaslyn ospreys has laid her 50th egg at their special nesting site.

Simply the nest; WALES' MOST PROLIFIC OSPREY, KNOWN AS MRS G, LAYS 50TH EGG AT WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Ostensibly, the previously practiced wholesale slaughter of raptors now diminished but as far as ospreys were concerned, it was too late.

First ospreys are back to enthral watchers

Osprey can provide the optional service of automatically monitoring of machines and can trigger alerts based on machine conditions.

OSPREY CORPORATION

If you see a big bird rapidly diving into the water, feet and head first, with talons widely spread, you can bet it's an osprey. Big, strong, and unique--there is no other bird like the osprey.

The fish hawk

The 12 additional Ospreys were temporarily unloaded at the Marines' air station in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in western Japan in late July.

CORRECTED: U.S. completes deployment of additional Osprey aircraft in Okinawa

plan to deploy the MV-22 Osprey, drawing criticism even from within his ruling Democratic Party of Japan that the premier has underestimated the growing concerns about the safety of the aircraft and that the deployment plan should be reconsidered.

UPDATE1: U.S. to bring in Ospreys to Iwakuni base Mon

When it comes to food, the osprey's diet is pretty monotonous: fish, fish and more fish.

The awesome Osprey: feathered fisherman can be found almost everywhere

Recreational viewing of ospreys and a desire to assist in their conservation has led to the formation of a new organization, Osprey Watch of Southeast Michigan, an osprey festival, and a feature film documentary.

Ospreys and the Michigan Wildlife Action Plan

"In previous acquisition models, all of the groups--the training device managers, classroom instructors and others--defined success separately," Osprey program analyst Robert Cox says.

Team Osprey redefines training

Osprey is currently renovating some of its recently acquired properties, including the Live Oak Corporate Center, formerly occupied by FCCI, which is being converted to a Class "A" multi-tenant facility, and Independence Business Park, which is undergoing a metamorphosis from a 200,000-square-foot single-use industrial/warehouse facility to a multi-use, flex/office, light industrial and warehouse/distribution center.

Osprey Management Company, LLC: A ful-Service Commercial Real Estate Company. (Headquarters Profile)

Had it gone through the Navy's testing system, the Osprey might be available to commanders in the field right now.

Studs and duds: in Afghanistan, the Navy has weapons that work. So why don't the Army and the Air Force? (Cover Story)

Full browser ?

CITE

Site: Follow: Share:

Open / Close