osprey

Bird of prey, sometimes called ‘fish hawk’ because it plunges feet first into the water to catch fish. It is dark brown above and a striking white below, and measures 60 cm/2 ft with a 2 m/6 ft wingspan. The nest is often built in trees near the seashore or lakeside, and two or three white eggs, blotched with crimson, are laid. Ospreys occur on all continents except Antarctica and have faced extinction in several areas. (Species Pandion haliaetus, family Pandionidae, order Falconiformes.)

Once on the verge of extinction in the US, they are now responding well to preservation programs.