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The osprey and owls are the only raptors whose outer toe is reversible, allowing them to grasp their prey with two toes in front and two behind. This is particularly helpful when they grab slippery fish. [26] The osprey is 0.9–2.1 kg (2.0–4.6 lb) in weight and 50–66 cm (20–26 in) in length with a 127–180 cm (50–71 in) wingspan.
The osprey is usually placed in a separate family (Pandionidae), as is the secretary bird (Sagittariidae), and the New World vultures are also usually now regarded as a separate family or order. Karyotype data [3] [4] [5] indicate the accipitrids analysed are indeed a distinct monophyletic group.
The osprey, a single species found worldwide that specializes in catching fish and builds large stick nests. Owls are variable-sized, typically night-specialized hunting birds. They fly almost silently due to their special feather structure that reduces turbulence. They have particularly acute hearing and nocturnal eyesight.
The predatory nature of raptors make them popular choices for fighter aircraft such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Harrier Jump Jet, while the names of seabirds may be chosen for aircraft primarily used by naval forces such as the HU-16 Albatross and the V-22 Osprey.
Accipitrimorphae is a clade of birds of prey that include the orders Cathartiformes (New World vultures) and Accipitriformes (diurnal birds of prey such as eagles, hawks, osprey and secretarybird).
Clockwise from top left: Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), cinereous harrier (Circus cinereus), greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga), harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius), osprey (Pandion haliaetus), slate-colored hawk (Buteogallus schistaceus), Galapagos hawk (Buteo galapagoensis), white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus) (center).
Pandion is a genus of fish-eating bird of prey, known as ospreys, the only genus of family Pandionidae.Most taxonomic treatments have regarded this genus as containing a single living species, separated into subspecies and found worldwide near water, while some treatments recognize two living species, splitting off the eastern osprey (Pandion (haliaetus) cristatus) from Australia and southeast ...
The history of ornithology largely reflects the trends in the history of biology, as well as many other scientific disciplines, including ecology, anatomy, physiology, paleontology, and more recently, molecular biology. Trends include the move from mere descriptions to the identification of patterns, thus towards elucidating the processes that ...