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[[Image:Osprey.jpg|thumb|500px|right|Photo by richard bledsoe<br/>Location: Lake Murray, La Mesa, California, USA]]
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[[Image:Osprey.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by richard bledsoe<br/>Location: Lake Murray, La Mesa, [[California]], [[USA]] ]]
==Identification==
==Identification==
Line 15:
Line 15:
==Distribution==
==Distribution==
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[[North America]], [[Central America]], [[South America]], [[Africa]], [[Eurasia]] and [[Australasia]].
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[[North America]], [[Central America]], [[South America]], [[Africa]], [[Europe]], [[Asia]] and [[Australasia]]. Except for breeding in Australasia, this species breeds in the northern hemisphere and migrates south in winter.
==Taxonomy==
==Taxonomy==
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Four to six subspecies are recognised. Nominate race breeds in the Palearctic, ''carolinensis'' with paler breast-band in [[North America]], ''ridgwayi'' in the [[Caribbean]] with whiter head and breast; and the smaller ''cristatus'' from [[Indonesia]] and [[Australasia]]. Birds from the [[Philippines]] to northern [[Australia]] are sometimes separated as ''melvillensis'' and those from [[New Caledonia]] as ''microhaliaetus'' but these races are not universally recognised.
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Four - six subspecies are recognised. Nominate race breeds in the Palearctic, ''carolinensis'' with paler breast-band in [[North America]], ''ridgwayi'' in the [[Caribbean]] with whiter head and breast; and the smaller ''cristatus'' from [[Australasia]]. Birds from the [[Philippines]] to northern [[Australia]] are sometimes separated as ''melvillensis'' and those from [[New Caledonia]] as ''microhaliaetus'' but these races are not universally recognised.
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==Habitat==
==Habitat==
Closely tied to water at all seasons.
Closely tied to water at all seasons.
==Behaviour==
==Behaviour==
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Among the characteristic behaviors, the one where it hovers over for example a clearwater lake and then splashes in so that the entire bird seems to disappear may be the most spectacular. Quite often, it will come up again carrying a fish, its main food.
*[http://www.aviceda.org/abid/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&fid=42&bid=556 View more images of this species on the ABID]
*[http://www.aviceda.org/abid/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&fid=42&bid=556 View more images of this species on the ABID]
*[http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&Bird_ID=1017&Bird_Image_ID=2506&Bird_Family_ID=108 View more images of this species on Orientalbirdimages]
*[http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&Bird_ID=1017&Bird_Image_ID=2506&Bird_Family_ID=108 View more images of this species on Orientalbirdimages]
Four to six subspecies are recognised. Nominate race breeds in the Palearctic, carolinensis with paler breast-band in North America, ridgwayi in the Caribbean with whiter head and breast; and the smaller cristatus from Indonesia and Australasia. Birds from the Philippines to northern Australia are sometimes separated as melvillensis and those from New Caledonia as microhaliaetus but these races are not universally recognised.
Habitat
Closely tied to water at all seasons.
Behaviour
Among the characteristic behaviors, the one where it hovers over for example a clearwater lake and then splashes in so that the entire bird seems to disappear may be the most spectacular. Quite often, it will come up again carrying a fish, its main food.
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