The most intimate life of Ospreys is often on full display for bird-watchers. They hunt for fish over open water and their large nest is usually in the open near water and may be used in multiple years. It dominates their social life. Males bring most of the nest material and females do most of the “furniture” arrangement. Osprey plumage and eye color differ with sex and age of birds so that it is easy to recognize Ospreys in their daily saga. Males have a white breast often with only a single line or spot of black dead center. Females have several lines of black – often arranged much like a necklace on their chest. Both adults have crisp brown plumage covering their back; juveniles also have brown plumage, but their body feathers are each neatly edged with light tan – giving them a scale-like appearance. The female is larger than the male – allowing her to defend her chicks against a hungry male. After all, he is a predator!
Ospreys
