Physical Description
Osprey are birds of prey. What is another name for this type of bird?
Raptor
What makes up 99% of an ospreys diet?
Fish
Osprey are found on every continent except?
Antarctica
How much better is an ospreys eyesight compared to humans?
6 times better! They can spot a fish from 100 feet in the air.
What bird is most closely related to osprey?
What are osprey feathers covered with to help them when they get wet?
The osprey’s feathers coverage (also known as plumage) is extremely dense and oily, which helps to keep water out when they make a splash fishing.
What is one kind of fish that osprey eat on Martha's Vineyard?
Herring
What is essential part of an ospreys habitat?
Water! Oceans, rivers, lakes, mangroves, coastal wetlands, lagoons, reefs, estuaries and marshes.
What can osprey do to their nostrils before diving into the water?
Close their nostrils, like nose plugs!
What is DDT?
An insecticide that was created to kill mosquitos.
Osprey have four toes, what is this kind of foot called?
Zygodactyl
What would you call an animal whose diet is primarily fish?
Piscivore
Where do most osprey that live in North America migrate to?
Central and South America
What can osprey do to their shoulders when they dive into the water?
Dislocate their shoulders
What is Biomagnification?
This is when the amount of a substance found in an animal at the bottom of the food chain accumulates in ever increasing levels in animals higher on the food chain.
What do osprey have underneath their feet to help them grab slippery fish?
Spicules or spines
When an osprey catches a fish, which way do they carry it during flight?
Osprey re-position the fish so that its head faces forward in a streamlined position for transporting through the air.
Why do osprey migrate?
Osprey have to migrate to because of the changes in their food source, fish.
What is the special membrane that gives osprey their own pair of swim goggles?
nictitating membrane
Why was DDT harmful to birds of prey?
DDT caused so much harm because this chemical didn’t break down over time in the animals that ingested it. Every time an animal ingested DDT, it just continued to build up.
Over time, DDT made it more difficult for birds to absorb calcium and this lack of calcium made their egg shells thinner resulting in eggs breaking before the chicks could hatch. Because birds Ospreys typically only lay 1-3 eggs at a time, losing one or two eggs due to shell thinning had a dramatic impact on their populations.
What color are the feathers around an ospreys eyes?
Ospreys have dark feathers in front of the eye which help to reduce the glare from the water surface when they are hunting for fish.
How many fish per day, on average do osprey bring back to the nest?
Who begins their migration first, male or female osprey?
Females. Males and young are the last to leave
What is the bone called that holds their strong pectoral muscles for flight?
Keel
How many pairs of osprey are found on Martha's Vineyard now?
Over 100 nesting pairs!