Pandion haliaetus - Western Osprey sur un pin colonnaire - Ilot Maître

Identification :
Balbuzard pêcheur : Rapace diurne piscivore de taille moyenne aux longues ailes étroites. De la famille des aigles. Aucun autre oiseau de proie ne montre un contraste si fort entre le dos brun foncé et la poitrine blanche nette. Taches sombres aux poignets. Tête pâle avec un bandeau noir sur l'oeil. Bande foncée sur la poitrine. Queue barrée. Pattes dénudées, doigts très puissants aux longues griffes.

Habitat :
Compte-tenu de son alimentation très spécialisée pour ne pas dire exclusive, le balbuzard séjourne à proximité de milieux aquatiques : bord des lacs, fleuves, grands étangs, rivières mais aussi parfois côtes maritimes. Cet oiseau possède l'une des plus grandes aires de répartition. Il niche en Europe, Asie, Balbuzard pêcheur Afrique, Australie et Amérique du Nord. En hiver, il quitte les régions nordiques et migre vers des climats plus cléments. Les oiseaux européens vont hiverner en Afrique subsaharienne, les nord-américains en Amérique Centrale et du Sud, les oiseaux du nord de l'Asie sur le continent indien et en Asie du Sud-Est. Le seul continent où le balbuzard est absent est l'Antarctique.

----------------------------------

Description

Size: Female 60-66 cm Male 50-55 cm 183 cm (58-72 in) wingspan. Colour: Body, dark brown above and white below. Head, white except for a brown stripe from the eye to the back of the head. The tail has medium-sized, alternating, dark brown and white bands. The female Osprey had a larger band of mottling across chest. Other things to look for: Barring on underwings and tail, voice plaintive whistles. Eyes are Yellow in colour, feet appear oversized. Unlike other raptors, the Osprey
has four equal toes. The outer one is reversible, enabling the bird to seize its prey with two toes pointing forwards and two pointing backwards.

Food

When an Osprey spots a fish from the air, it hovers at a height of 10 to 30 m until the fish is in a suitable position. Then, in a dramatic performance, the bird, huge yet wonderfully light, dives from the sky with its wings half closed and claws stretched forward, and disappears under the surface in a great spray of water, usually reappearing a few seconds later with a fish firmly clutched in its claws. Fortunately, the Osprey's plumage is fine and dense, particularly on its feet, so that the bird does not get very wet. The Osprey carries its catch headfirst in flight, using both feet to hold all but the smallest fishes. Ospreys can't swim and have been known to drown, especially if they get their talons stuck in too large a fish and can't take off. After taking off with fish locked in talons, the Osprey will turn the fish so that the aerodynamic head of the fish is facing forward.

Distribution and Habitat

The Osprey are truly a global bird inhabiting all continents except Antarctica. Their diet consists solely of fish, therefore they live close to water ways. Osprey's have a wide distribution because they are able to live almost anywhere where there are safe nest sites and shallow water with abundant fish. Nests are generally found within 3 to 5 km of a water body such as a salt marsh, mangrove swamp, cypress wamp, lake, bog, reservoir or river. The frequency with which each of these habitat types is used varies by geographic region. Because the osprey's habitat is always closely associated with bodies of water; nests are most commonly in dead or open-topped trees, barring artificial nesting sites, they will need on artificial purpose built platforms, as well utility poles.