Western Bird Guide: Birds of the Rockies and West to the Pacific

by Charles K. Reed

AMERICAN OSPREY; FISH HAWK.

364. Pandion haliætus carolinensis. 23 inches.

Probably no fisherman in the United States is so well known as is this bird. It is one of the pleasantest sights along the coast to watch a number of these great birds as they soar at an elevation above the water, watching for a fish to come near the surface, when, with folded wings, the bird speeds downward and plunges into the water, rarely missing his prey. Three or four creamy white eggs, with spots of brown of different shades (2.40 × 1.80).