Ospreys

three orange-eyed osprey - Bill Portlock - 695x352

The osprey--also called fish eagle, sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk--relies on the bounty of the Bay for its meals.

Louise Zeitlin

Osprey At A Glance

APPEARANCE: Ospreys are raptors with dark brown and white feathers and a white stomach.

SIZE: Ospreys weigh two-and-a-half to four-and-a-half pounds and their wingspan can reach five to six feet.

DIET: Fish make up almost 99 percent of the osprey's diet.

INTERESTING FACT: The osprey is one of the most widespread birds of prey and can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

SOURCE: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Movebank

Osprey Tracking Project

CBF's Osprey Tracking Project allows students and teachers to track three ospreys, one living on Virginia's Port Isobel Island and two on Holly Beach Farm in Maryland, from their home and classroom computers. The page includes lesson plans for teachers and puzzles, projects, and more for students, as well as a link to video of the tagging process. Learn More
Jennifer Delgamo

Osprey Feel the Heat

Ospreys are powerful fliers and migrate to South America for the winter. Is climate change affecting their patterns? Find out in this article from CBF's flagship magazine, Save the Bay. READ NOW

More About Ospreys

Upcoming Menhaden Management Meeting

May 1, 2025

A special Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) workgroup has completed a special report on the connection between osprey nest failures and falling menhaden harvests. What action will the Commission decide to take at its upcoming meeting?
Menhaden Study Delay Leaves Important Questions Unanswered

April 23, 2025

We need more science to get to the heart of the connection between menhaden and catastrophic failure for nesting osprey. But for the second consecutive year, the Virginia legislature failed to fund the critically needed menhaden study.
As Osprey Populations Struggle, Managers Continue Deliberations on Chesapeake Bay Menhaden

October 23, 2024

Following reports of osprey chicks starving in areas of the Chesapeake Bay where they depend on menhaden for food, a workgroup tackling the issue gave its initial report to the East Coast’s fishery managers Oct. 22.
Osprey Starvation in Virginia and Maryland Linked to Menhaden, New Study Finds

September 12, 2024

Amid continuing concerns about the availability of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay, a study released this week shows that osprey chicks are starving in nests in parts of the Bay where they typically depend on menhaden for food.
Maryland Proposes Further Action for Menhaden in Chesapeake Bay

August 6, 2024

Today, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted to establish a workgroup to consider additional protections from industrial fishing of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay after hearing new survey results that show low osprey nesting success in the Bay.