Osprey

Osprey

Subject: Environment

Context: The frequency data around waterbodies and wetlands in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur shows that migratory bird Ospery might have found an additional home in this region.

Concept:

• Normally, Osprey is considered a migratory bird in India.
• However, for reasons still to be known (maybe they have become resident or stayed late or came early) the bird has been sighted at times it is generally not spotted. At the same time no evidence of breeding has also been reported.
• Ospreys migrate to India from Russia to escape the harsh winters.
• Research has shown that Ospreys migrate alone and the offspring faces a great challenge of not only endurance but also navigation.

Migration of Birds

• Migratory birds fly hundreds and thousands of kilometres to find the best ecological conditions and habitats for feeding, breeding and raising their young.

About Osprey

• It is also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk — is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range (found across or most of the world in appropriate habitats).
• It is a large raptor species or “Birds of prey”.
• Its IUCN conservation status is “Least Concern”.
• It lives in wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents except Antarctica, although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant.
• Osprey are mostly found in area with coastal forest nearby (Pulicat lake provides it here in India).