The Story
I photographed this Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) at the Avian Reconditioning Center in Apopka, Florida, United States, in October 2020, close enough to see its eyes and hooked beak. The Osprey is a fish-eating raptor found almost worldwide, and it lives in a wide variety of habitats near water. Adult males can be told from females by their slimmer bodies and narrower wings, and by a weaker breast band. In spring, barring on the underwings and flight feathers is the better sign of a young bird. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/1600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. The center reaches people of all ages through education programs, special yearly events and its Saturdays at ARC visits.
©2023 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) belongs to the family Pandionidae (Osprey) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2021), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List