![]() Osprey, Bald Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon populations crashed.īanning DDT allowed a slow, natural cleansing cycle to begin. The biggest culprit was a pesticide known as DDT.ĭDT caused the birds to lay eggs with thin shells. Pesticides used at the time ran off into fresh and salt waters, affecting the fish in those waters, which were the bird’s main food supply. While there may seem to be an abundance of Osprey now, back then the species all but disappeared from the Eastern Seaboard, along with Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons. If you were a kid back in the 1960s and 70s, there’s nothing wrong with your memory. If you’re of a certain age, you might be thinking that the Osprey is a new species in your area because you don’t remember them being around. ![]() Call Where Did All These Osprey Come From? Over time, nests can become 10 feet deep and 6 feet wide. Home improvement is done by adding to the structure. Ospreys return to the same nest every year. From their intricate courtship rituals to the careful renovation of the nest, to raising their young, they are fun to observe. Watching a pair of Osprey in the breeding season is a treat. Ospreys often add colorful bags or old clothes into their nests. Nests consist of sticks, grass, rope, and whatever strikes the bird’s eye. Nests are built on anything: telephone poles, chimneys, specially-built Osprey platforms, any place they think will work. Once caught, Ospreys always align fish to be head-first before flying away with their dinner (a head-first fish offers less wind resistance). Barbs on the pads of their feet grip slippery fish. Their toes are unique – one can reverse, allowing for two toes front and back. They are not deep divers so those waters tend to be shallow, so they take fish that are close to the surface. They hover over open waters, then dive feet-first to grab a fish, hitting the water hard, with a big splash. Their wingbeats are stiff with a rowing motion. Other field marks are brown “wrists” and “fingertips” showing individual “fingers”. Tagged Ospreys have been found as far away as the Amazon Basin.Ī white head with a bold, brown stripe that starts behind the eye, a large brown body, and a dark tail mark this bird. Where there are fish, there will be Ospreys.Īlso known as Fish Hawk, Sea Hawk, and River Hawk, Ospreys migrate up from South America and make their return trip in Fall. The Osprey is a seasonal visitor to Illinois, found in locations with good water sources. While not considered a true hawk, this raptor’s presence in Illinois puts it on this list. Pandionidae has only one member – the fish-eating Osprey. ![]() ![]() While they will appear in another of our articles, a good example of morphs is the Eastern Screech Owl, which comes in three morphs – brown, grey, and red. Light morphs are paler than “normal” birds. Morphs are typically lighter or darker versions of the normal feather hues.Ī dark morph Rough-legged hawk looks just like the field guide bird but is darker overall. This color difference is called a “morph”. While most raptors have a specific color to their feathers, Buteo hawks can have variations in that overall plumage. While Buteos are called “hawks” here in the US and Canada, they are known as “buzzards” throughout the rest of the world. While Falcons are also accipiters, they are not hawks and will be covered in another one of our articles.īuteos are large raptors with short, wide tails, broad wings, and heavy, solid bodies. Types of HawksĪccipiters are fast-moving birds with short, broad, rounded wings and long tails that make it easy for them to maneuver during flight. While Cooper’s Hawks are larger overall than the Sharp-shinned Hawks, male Cooper’s Hawks can be the same size as a Sharp-shinned female.įor more birdwatching in Illinois see our articles on backyard birds and woodpeckers. This can make determining what you’re viewing problematic with some species, like the Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned. Something to note: when identifying raptors, keep in mind that females are much larger than males. The hawks found in Illinois are broken down into three separate families: Accipiters, Buteos, and Pandionidae.
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