WunderPhotos®

An osprey family makes its home on a channel marker in the Miles River north of St. Michaels, MD. The male is perched on the wooden plank in the background...solitary chick to the right. Male ospreys (sp. Pandion haliaetus)can be identified by their sleeker body, narrower wings, and darker plumage than females. It is the only raptor in North America that dives for its prey. Ospreys and owls are also the only raptors in the world that have an opposable outer toe (zygodactic talon) which enables them to better catch and hold their prey. The feathers of ospreys do not have as much oil as swimming waterfowl (such as ducks and geese), and as a result, their feathers can get waterlogged. To prevent this, after each dive they shake their feathers much like a dog shakes water off when it comes out of a swimming pool or pond. The osprey is one of the most widely distributed raptors and can be found on all continents except Antarctica.