Peli met a new friend that likes to eat fish just as much as she does. Her new friend is the Osprey, also commonly called the Fish Hawk, that dives into the water using its massive clawed feet to catch fish near the surface of the water. Ospreys, unlike Pelicans and other waterbirds, can’t swim very well, nor can they float on the surface of the water like Pelicans and Ducks do, so once they enter the water they fly out as quickly as possible. Once airborne, they shake their bodies like a wet dog shaking water out of its fur, but the Osprey does it to shake the water out of its feathers making it easier to fly. If the Osprey has caught a fish, once airborne the Osprey will change the position of the fish so the fish’s head is pointing in the direction the Osprey is flying making the fish easier to carry. Most Ospreys are migratory with Fish Hawks from the northern states where they nest flying down to Florida with many going on to Central and South America to spend the winter. Florida, though, has a small population of non-migratory Ospreys that stay in Florida the whole year.
Ospreys can be found anywhere there is water in Florida so keep an eye out for these amazing birds on your next outdoor adventure.