Status in UK:
(A) Migrant Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies:haliaetus recorded in Britain (of 4 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
56 cm
Wingspan:
158 cm
Weight:
M/F: 1.5 kg
Scientific name from:
after Pandion, mythical Greek king of Attica
and Gr.: halos=the sea + aetos=an eagle
World Distribution:
Cosmopolitan, Northern populations generally winter further south
Habitat:
Lakes, rivers, seacoasts
Diet:
Fish, caught in talons after dive
TitBit:
Satellite tracking shows Ospreys can fly up to 430km in one day on their way to west Africa. About 20 flying days are required for the journey but in autumn birds stop off to refuel on 14 days, in spring they only stop off for about 4 in order to arrive b
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
No distribution maps available
British Population Size:
Summer:
148 pairs
in 1998-02
First Record:
10th Century
[Fossil evidence from
Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
First Breeding Record:
Scotland (after extinct 1916) 1954
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
5600 to 7 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(I,IV), WBD(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II), CITES(II)
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
62 x 46 mm
Egg Weight:
72.0 g (of which 10 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
4
Clutch Size:
2 - 3 eggs
Incubation:
37 days
by the:
Female (occ. Male)
Fledging:
53 days
as:
Altricial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
Unavailable
Number of Broods:
1
Number Ringed:
107
Adult Survival:
0.815
Juvenile Survival:
0.427 (in First-Year)
Age at First Breeding:
3
years
Typical Lifespan:
8
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
20yr11m
(Finland: 26yr 1m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
K
Wing Length
Adult:
Insufficient Data.
Juvenile:
Insufficient Data.
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Weight
Adult:
Insufficient Data.
Juvenile:
Insufficient Data.
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Other Names
Gaelic:
Iolaire-iasgaich
Welsh:
Gwalch y Pysgod
Danish:
Fiskeørn
Dutch:
Visarend
Finnish:
Kalasääski
French:
Balbuzard pêcheur
German:
Fischadler
Hungarian:
Halászsas
Icelandic:
Gjóður
Irish:
Coirneach
Italian:
Falco pescatore
Norwegian:
Fiskeørn
Polish:
Rybolów
Portuguese:
Águia-pesqueira
Spanish:
Águila pescadora
Swedish:
Fiskgjuse
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Brown, P. 1979 The Scottish ospreys: from extinction to survival Heinemann, London
[598.522 BRO]
Poole, A. 1989 Ospreys: a natural and unnatural history Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
[598.522 POO]
Dennis, R. 2008 A life of ospreys Whittles Publishing
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Wikipedia entry
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
These data should be cited as: Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.22, Oct 2008). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)
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Other Names
