Osprey: Eurasian and American

I did a previous post on ospreys on January 19, 2014 that I saw in Florida. Since that time I've seen more ospreys. They are found almost worldwide and there are four subspecies, although there are not large differences in the subspecies. The nominate subspecies, Pandion haliaetus haliaetus is known as the European osprey, which I saw recently in Uganda in Murchison Falls NP on a boat ride on the Victorian Nile from Paraa to Murchison Falls. 

 

Illustration of a male Eurasian osprey from Birds of the World. 

Illustration of a female Eurasian osprey from Birds of the World.

It has a brown back and upperwing coverts, a mostly white breast (with some speckling) and belly, a white crown and forehead and a dark line through the eye. The iris is yellow, the cere and legs are pale blue-gray and the female (and some males) have a speckled brown necklace on the breast. Females are 15% to 20% larger than males, have fuller and darker breast bands (speckling). 

The American osprey is larger, darker bodied and has a paler breast than the Eurasian osprey.  

Illustration of male American osprey from Birds of the World. 

At Aransas NWR near Corpus Christi, Texas. 

At Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve near Huntington Beach, California.

At Irvine Ranch Water District in Irvine, California. 

At Sabine NWR near Cameron, Louisiana.

Near Sonny Bono NWR in Imperial County, Califonira.