The osprey, also known as the river hawk, fish hawk or sea hawk.is the only hawk species in North America that eats almost exclusively live fish, with about 80 fish species making up about 99 percent of its diet.
The osprey is the second most widely distributed raptor species, after the peregrine falcon, and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. All ospreys encompass a single species with the exception of the eastern osprey which is native to Australia.
The osprey species is over 11 million years old and has evolved several unique characteristics including nostrils that can be closed during dives and an outer toe that can be angled backwards to better grasp fish
Ospreys can rack up over 160,000 miles of travel. in 2008 an osprey tracked by researchers flew an incredible 2,700 miles in just 13 days, traveling from Massachusetts to French Guiana, South America.
Ospreys can live to be 15-20 years old. The oldest known osprey was just over 25 years old.
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