The
osprey or more specifically the
western osprey — also called
sea hawk,
river hawk, and
fish hawk — is a
diurnal,
fish-eating bird of prey with a
cosmopolitan range. It is a large
raptor. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.
The osprey tolerates a wide variety of
habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents except Antarctica, although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding
migrant.
As its other common names suggest, the osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It possesses specialised physical characteristics and exhibits unique behaviour to assist in hunting and catching
prey. one of the former subspecies
cristatus has recently been given full species status and is referred to as the
eastern osprey. Despite its propensity to nest near water, the osprey is not classed as a
sea eagle.
