| Osprey Identification Tips |
| (Credit: U. S. Geological Survey) |
| General
Information - Large, narrow-winged hawk - Flies on flat wings with distinct kink at elbow - Wings taper to a rounded tip - Short hooked beak - White cap - Dark brown eyeline broadening behind eye - Dark brown nape, back and upperwings - Wings from below: flight feathers white barred with black, undersecondary coverts white and underprimary coverts black producing rectangular black mark at wrist - White chin, throat, breast and belly - Brown tail has a number of white bands - Hovers and then plunges into water after fish Adult male - Underparts entirely white Adult female - Dark necklace of streaks on throat Immature - White tips to dark back feathers Similar species Unmarked white belly, wing shape, and flight style make the Osprey instantly recognizable even at a distance. |
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