![]() In turn, the breeding population declined from an estimated 1,000 active nests in the 1940s between New York City and Boston, to an estimated 150 nests in 1969. The decline of this species was caused by DDT-induced eggshell thinning, which reduced the reproductive output of breeding pairs. Within its range, the osprey prefers to make its home along the coastline, and on lakes and rivers. In New York, there are two main breeding populations, one on Long Island and the other in the Adirondack Mountains. Here, its breeding range extends from Northwestern Alaska across Canada south to Baja California in the west and to the Gulf States in the east. Only one of the five subspecies, Pandion haliaetus, occurs in North America. Ospreys breed on every continent except Antarctica. The young fledge at about eight weeks of age, then remain in the area of the nest for about two months. The nest is often used year after year and can become quite large (up to 10 feet high!) as more material is added prior to each nesting season. They also occasionally nest on the ground. Nesting platforms and other man-made structures are also commonly used. ![]() The female lays one to four (usually three) eggs in the spring in a large nest of sticks constructed at the top of a dead tree. While hunting, an osprey sometimes plunges deep enough into the water in order to momentarily submerge its entire body. Ospreys feed primarily on live fish, which they catch by using their long, hooked talons. ![]() Maintained by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Osprey range map from Birds of the World,
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