10/22/2026
Anton Yereniuk shared this photo he took of a Osprey or Sea Eagles attended to their chicks in Cape Cod. For that he got pick of the day. Here are 10 interesting things I learned about Osprey's.
Ospreys are remarkable raptors found across the globe. Here are 10 interesting facts about them:
National Audubon Society
Global Presence: They live on every continent except Antarctica.
National Audubon Society
Seafood Obsession: Fish make up about 99% of their diet, earning them nicknames like "sea hawks" or "fish hawks".
National Audubon Society
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Feet-First Dives: They hunt by hovering over water and plunging feet-first at high speeds, sometimes completely submerging themselves to grab fish.
HawkWatch International
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Reversible Toes: Unlike most birds of prey, they can rotate their outer toe backward to create a two-in-front, two-in-back grip.
Biological Velcro: The bottoms of their feet feature tiny, backward-facing spines (spicules) and barbed pads that help them hold onto slippery fish.
YouTube
·Wildlife Pedia English
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Aerodynamic Carry: After catching a meal, they fly with the fish positioned head-first to cut down on wind resistance.
All About Birds
Built-in Goggles: During a dive, they pull a third transparent eyelid (nictitating membrane) across their eyes to see underwater and close their nostrils to keep water out.
National Audubon Society
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Massive Nests: Their stick nests grow larger every year—sometimes reaching up to 6 feet wide and 13 feet deep—and smaller birds like sparrows often build homes in the sides of them.
National Audubon Society
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High-Mileage Migrations: Over a 15-to-20-year lifespan, an individual osprey can log more than 160,000 migration miles traveling between breeding grounds and wintering sites.
All About Birds
DDT Comeback: In the mid-20th century, pesticide use like DDT severely crashed their numbers, but populations rebounded strongly after bans were put in place.