Osprey

Osprey live along mountain lakes and streams where fish are plentiful and are excellent fliers with strong legs and powerful talons. In the 1950s and 1960s, their population decreased dramatically because of hunting, habitat loss, and insecticides such as DDT, which contaminated rivers and poisoned the fish that made up 99 percent of their diet. After DDT was banned, the population began to recover, but returning ospreys faced another obstacle as many utility poles had been built during their absence and they began nesting on these power poles instead of in the tall, isolated areas near shallow water they typically prefer. Conservation efforts include building artificial nest platforms to help increase the population. Osprey have white underparts, black eye stripes, and bright yellow eyes, unlike eagles, which have brown underparts, no eye stripes, and pale yellow eyes. They carry fish head first to reduce wind resistance, females typically lay three eggs that hatch at different times, and if food is scarce the dominant chick may survive while its siblings starve. The osprey is one of the most widespread birds of prey and can be found near bodies of water on every continent except Antarctica.

Ruidoso, New Mexico · United States