Unlike most UK birds of prey, ospreys have adapted to a diet of fish.

Statistics
Ospreys have a body length of 60cm, a wingspan of 150cm and weigh 1.8kg.

Physical description
The wings are white below, marked with brown. The legs and feet are grey/green in colour and have thorny protuberances so that they can hang onto the slippery fish.

Adult birds are dark brown above and white below. Young birds have brown feathers with white tips. They have a distinctive brown breast band, which is more prominent in females. The head is white with a thick dark brown stripe through the eye.

Distribution
Ospreys have a global distribution (except for Antarctica), but are rare in north west Europe. Ospreys that breed in Scotland spend the winter in west Africa, mainly the Gambia and Senegal.

Habitat
In Scotland, ospreys nest in trees, usually near lochs and rivers. In other parts of their range they will also nest on sea cliffs and on the ground.

Diet
Ospreys feed exclusively on fish, mostly trout and pike in Scotland. They plunge into the water to catch prey with talons that are designed to grip fish.

Behaviour
The male usually arrives at the nesting site first, during early April, and the female follows a few days later, at which time nest building and mating take place. The first egg is laid in about the third week of April, and incubation begins immediately.

Eggs are laid at intervals of a few days until the clutch of three is complete. They are incubated for approximately 37 days. Fledging of the young takes some seven to eight weeks.

Conservation status
Ospreys are considered to be of special concern. They have been excessively hunted by fish farmers, who see them as a threat to their stock. They have also been affected by human disturbance and pesticides. More than 130 pairs now nest in Scotland, which they recolonised about 50 years ago, and the first English pair for many years nested in 2001.

Voice
Ospreys have a call that sounds like chewk-chewk-chewk or cheep-cheep-cheep.