Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Introduction

Feeding almost entirely on fish, this large brown and white bird of prey is a summer visitor to Britain, breeding at sites across Scotland and the north of England.

The first birds can arrive back as early as late February but the BirdTrack reporting rate graphs show the main arrival occurs in early April. In the early 1900s, the Osprey became extinct as a breeding bird in Britain but in 1955 a single pair set up home in Scotland and the Osprey was back. Thanks to a successful reintroduction programme Ospreys now also breed in both England and Wales.

Tracking studies have revealed the routes used by migrating Ospreys as they travel to and from their wintering grounds in West Africa.

Key Stats

Scarce

1.5kg

2-3

BTO Records

73k records

Population and distribution stats for:

No data

240 Pairs

1032% expansion

No data

No current data

% expansion

Identification

Curated resources to aid in the identification of Osprey

Songs and Calls

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Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Osprey, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

Call:

Flight call:

Begging call:

Status and Trends

Population size, trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO and partnership surveys and atlasses with data collected by BTO volunteers.

Conservation Status

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This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern

Amber listed

Species of European Conservation Concern

Least Concern

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)

Least Concern

Schedule 1 Licence required (to disturb)*

Yes

Birds Directive Annex 1

Yes

Listed on the Annexes of*

WCA(I,IV), WBD(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II), CITES(II)

* A guide only. Check details with the original legislation, especially those marked with an asterisk. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Size

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UK (breeding)

240 Pairs (2013–17)

Source

BOU Category

Source

First Record*

Recorded in Medieval times

* First documented occurrence. Most species undoubtedly occurred before this. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Change

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Ospreys became more or less extinct in the early twentieth century (Dennis 2008) but numbers have increased substantially in the UK since the 1950s when successful breeding began at Loch Garten. The latest submissions to the RBBP give a mean figure of 242 breeding pairs over the five-year period 2015–2019 (Eaton et al. 2021). This is considered to be an under-estimate of the true population as coverage is no longer complete in the core part of the range in Scotland. The range of the species across the UK has also expanded, mostly as a result of successful reintroduction schemes.

Distribution

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The Osprey's main breeding range is the straths and lowlands of eastern and central Highlands of Scotland, plus Tayside and central Scotland. Through introductions and ongoing colonisation there are now breeding birds at several sites in southern England and Wales, and many summering birds associated with a number of large wetland complexes.

Occupied 10-km squares in UK

These figures come from Bird Atlas 2007 and indicate how widespread a species is.

No. occupied in breeding season

286

% occupied in breeding season

9.5%

No. occupied in winter

% occupied in winter

0.8%

Bird Atlas distribution maps show where bird species breed or winter in Britain and Ireland. For breeding maps, larger dots indicate higher certainty the species bred in that area.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

To view and download up-to-date distribution information aggregated from across BTO and partnership surveys and schemes, see our data holdings on the NBN Atlas.

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Distribution Change

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Change in occupied 10-km squares in the UK

These figures come from Bird Atlas 2007-11 and indicate by how much occupied areas have expanded or contracted over recent decades.

% change in range in breeding season (1968–72 to 2008–11)

1032 %

Bird Atlas distribution change maps show how bird distributions have changed through time. Coloured upward-pointing triangles show places apparently colonised over the period; grey downward-pointing triangles show places apparently vacated. Shading show places occupied.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Seasonality

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Ospreys are one of the earliest summer visitors, some individuals arriving as early as late February, though most don't arrive until April. Some individuals linger well into autumn.

Weekly pattern of occurrence

The graph shows when the species is present in the UK, with taller bars indicating a higher likelihood of encountering the species in appropriate regions and habitats.

Phenology graph — Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.

Movement

Information about Osprey movements and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.

Britain & Ireland movement

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View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

Dots show the foreign destinations of birds ringed in Britain & Ireland, and the origins of birds ringed overseas that were subsequently recaptured, resighted or found dead in Britain & Ireland. Dot colours indicate the time of year that the species was present at the location.

Winter (Nov-Feb)
Spring (Mar-Apr)
Summer (May-Jul)
Autumn (Aug-Oct)

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

European movements

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EuroBirdPortal uses birdwatcher's records, such as those logged in BirdTrack to map the flows of birds as they arrive and depart Europe. See maps for this species here.

The Eurasian-African Migration Atlas shows movements of individual birds ringed or recovered in Europe. See maps for this species here.

Biology

Lifecycle and body size information for Osprey, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.

Productivity and Nesting

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Nesting timing

Typical (exceptional) number of broods

Source

Egg measurements

Typical length x width

62x46 mm

Mass (% shell)

72g (10%)

Source

Clutch Size

Typical number

3-2 eggs

Observed minimum and maximum

1-4 eggs

Source

Incubation

Incubation by

Female (occ. Male)

Typical duration

37-37 days

Source

Fledging

Type of chick

Altricial, downy

Typical duration

53-53 days

Source

Survival and Longevity

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Survival is shown as the proportion of birds surviving from one year to the next and is derived from bird ringing data. It can also be used to estimate how long birds typically live.

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report.

lifespan

Typical life expectancy of bird reaching breeding age

9 years with breeding typically at 3 years

Source

Maximum age from a ringed bird

20 years, 11 months, (set in 2005)

Source

Survival of adults

All adults

0.85

Source

Survival of juveniles

All juveniles

0.6 (in first year)

Source

Biometrics

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Wing length and body weights are from live birds (source).

Ring Size

Classification, names and codes

Taxonomy, names and species codes for Osprey

Classification and Codes

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Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Pandionidae
Scientific name: Pandion haliaetus
Authority: Linnaeus, 1758

BTO 2-letter code: OP
BTO 5-letter code: OSPRE
Euring code number: 3010

Alternate species names

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Catalan: àguila pescadora
Czech: orlovec rícní
Danish: Fiskeørn
Dutch: Visarend
Estonian: kalakotkas
Finnish: sääksi (kalasääski)
French: Balbuzard pêcheur
Gaelic: Iolaire-iasgaich

German: Fischadler
Hungarian: halászsas
Icelandic: Gjóður
Irish: Coirneach
Italian: Falco pescatore
Latvian: zivjerglis
Lithuanian: erelis žuvininkas
Norwegian: Fiskeørn

Polish: rybolów
Portuguese: águia-pescadora / águia-pesqueira
Slovak: kršiak rybár
Slovenian: ribji orel
Spanish: Águila pescadora
Swedish: fiskgjuse
Welsh: Gwalch Pysgod

English folkname(s): Bald Buzzard

Research

Interpretation and scientific publications about Osprey from BTO scientists.

Causes of Change and Solutions

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Causes of change

The effective extinction of Osprey as a UK breeding species in the early twentieth century was caused by persecution and egg-collecting (Dennis 2008). The increases since the 1950s have been driven by increased protection and intensive conservation action, including nest-guarding and a reintroduction programme in England (Schmidt-Rothmund et al. 2014).

More Evidence

More evidence from Conservation Evidence.com

Partners

Birdfacts is based on data collected by volunteers participating in surveys that are organised and funded by BTO, RSPB, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, JNCC and other partners.

BTO

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

JNCC

RSPB

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