Osprey Height
Ospreys are large, distinct-looking hawks with a reversible outer toe that allows them to grasp their food or other stuff with two legs in front and two behind them.
Except for Antarctica, these birds can be found on every continent, though they are only thought to be a non-breeding migrant throughout South America.
Interestingly, Ospreys are a very unique fish-hawk that was previously classified with other hawks but is now placed in its own family.
Ospreys are brown mostly on the upper parts and grayish on the head and underparts, and they are mostly found near lakes, rivers, and coasts.
Speaking of the size of these birds, they are large raptors that have an average height of about 21.3-22.8 in (54-58 cm), with a maximum height of about 60 cm (24 in).
| Height | Centimeter | Inches | Feet |
| Osprey | 54-58 cm | 21.3-22.8 in | 1.77-1.9 ft |
Osprey Weight
Moving on to the body mass of the bird in terms of weight, we will first discuss its eating and hunting habits, which majorly contribute to its growth in terms of height as well as weight.
Ospreys are carnivores (piscivores), and fish accounts for 99 percent of their diet. These birds of prey hunt only and only on fishes of about 4-12″ long. Rarely do they also feed on rodents, rabbits, snakes, and other small species of birds.
Moreover, it has been found that Ospreys mainly do their hunting during dawn and dusk.
Ospreys hunt by delving deeper into the water’s surface from 30 to 100 feet above, and their feet have gripping pads to help them pull fish from the water.
The average weight of an adult Osprey ranges from about 49.4-70.5 oz (1.4-2.0 kg), which is quite heavy.
| Weight | Grams | Kilograms | Pounds |
| Osprey | 1400-2000 g | 1.4-2.0 kgs | 49.4-70.5 oz |
Osprey Wingspan
Moving on, Ospreys are frequently seen in flight and recognizing birds that are flying can be difficult, but you can now easily identify them by looking at their wingspan.
These birds hunt for food by circling high up in the sky over relatively shallow water with constant wingbeats and bowed wings, as they are fish hunters.
They frequently hover for a brief period of time before diving to grasp a fish. As a result, in flight, Ospreys have arched wings and drooping ‘hands,’ giving them a gull-like appearance.
Furthermore, with a wingspan of more than 5 feet, Ospreys are among North America’s largest birds of prey.
The wingspan of these birds is 127–180 cm (50–71 in), or 4.1 – 5.9 ft. Furthermore, female ospreys are much larger than their counterparts by over 20%.
| Wingspan | Centimeter | Inch | Feet |
| Osprey | 127–180 cm | 50–71 in | 4.1 – 5.9 ft |
Osprey Size Vs Bald Eagle Size Comparison
Eagles are another bird of prey with a large wingspan. The Bald Eagle is one of the most popular eagles.
Ospreys are sometimes confused with Bald and Golden Eagles, but the size difference between the two birds can be used to distinguish them.
Although male and female Bald Eagles are quite similar in terms of their appearance and body color, female Bald Eagles are larger than male Bald Eagles.
In terms of the standing height of the bird, on average an adult Bald Eagle has a height of 27.9-37.8 in (71-96 cm), weighs 105.8-222.2 oz (3.0-6.3 kg), and has a wingspan of 1.8 and 2.3 m (5 ft 11 in and 7 ft 7 in).
The Bald Eagle is larger in terms of all the size parameters. That is, the Bald Eagle is longer, heavier, and has a larger wingspan than Ospreys.
| Size | Height | Weight | Wingspan |
| Osprey | 21.3-22.8 in (54-58 cm) | 49.4-70.5 oz (1.4-2.0 kg) | 127–180 cm (4.1 – 5.9 ft) |
| Bald Eagle | 27.9-37.8 in (71-96 cm) | 105.8-222.2 oz (3.0-6.3 kg) | 1.8 and 2.3 m (5 ft 11 in and 7 ft 7 in) |
Osprey Size Vs Human Comparison
Did you know that Ospreys reside in close proximity to humans, resulting in frequent interactions between the two species?
This is because Ospreys are incredibly tolerant of humans, frequently nesting alongside busy roads and in densely populated cities.
So, it is quite important to measure the size of the ospreys in terms of humans, that is look at their length, weight, and wingspan from your perspective of yourself.
In order to do so, we can compare their size with ours. Unfortunately, we can’t really comment on human wingspan because, well, we don’t really have wings. We can, however, compare their overall lengths.
Talking about the size of an average adult human, the average overall height ranges from 5.5 to 5.9 feet, weighs about 60 to 80 kgs (132-176 lb), and has an arm span of about less than 2 meters.
In contrast, the overall height of the osprey is 1.77-1.9 ft, it weighs about 1.4-2.0 kgs (49.4-70.5 oz) and has a wingspan of about 4.1 – 5.9 ft.
Based on the values above, in terms of standing height and weight, ospreys are quite smaller than humans.
However, if we look at the wingspan and the standing height together then the Ospreys are much larger than humans and would look longer during their flight.
Osprey Vs Harpy Eagle Size Comparison
Moving on, the Harpy eagle is a renowned, bold, and magnificent bird of prey that very few people have encountered in its natural habitat.
The Neotropical Rainforest Harpy Eagle lives at low elevations, where it can locate prey and big trees to nest in. The Harpy Eagle, Harpia harpyja, is one of the world’s largest and strongest raptors.
The Harpy Eagle has an overall standing length of 86.5 to 107 cm (2 ft 10 in to 3 ft 6 in), weighs 4-4.8kg (8.8-10.6lb), and has a wingspan of about 176 to 224 cm (5 ft 9 in to 7 ft 4 in).
On the other hand, the Ospreys have an average height of 21.3-22.8 in (54-58 cm), weigh 49.4-70.5 oz (1400-2000 g) and have a wingspan of 127–180 cm (50-71 inches).
| Size | Height | Weight | Wingspan |
| Osprey | 21.3-22.8 in (54-58 cm) | 49.4-70.5 oz (1400-2000 g) | 127–180 cm (4.1 – 5.9 ft) |
| Harpy Eagle | 86.5 to 107 cm (2 ft 10 in to 3 ft 6 in) | 9.7-18 lb (4.4-8.3 kg) | 176 to 224 cm (5 ft 9 in to 7 ft 4 in) |
As we can see above in the table, the Harpy Eagle is much larger in terms of body length and has a larger wingspan, but is more lightweight than the Osprey.
Osprey Vs Hawk Size Comparison
The Red-tailed Hawk is a well-known Hawk, and when compared with Osprey, the Osprey is much larger than the Red-Tailed Hawk. In addition, Ospreys have larger wings and tails.
The average adult Red-Tailed Hawk’s standing length ranges from 17.7-22.1 in (45-56 cm), weighs about 24.3-45.9 oz (690-1300 g), and has a wingspan of about 110–141 cm (3 ft 7 in – 4 ft 8 in).
| Size | Height | Weight | Wingspan |
| Osprey | 21.3-22.8 in (54-58 cm) | 49.4-70.5 oz (1400-2000 g) | 127–180 cm (4.1 – 5.9 ft) |
| Red-Tailed Hawk | 17.7-22.1 in (45-56 cm) | 24.3-45.9 oz (690-1300 g) | 110–141 cm (3 ft 7 in – 4 ft 8 in) |
Ospreys are larger in terms of standing height, weight as well as wingspan when compared to a hawk such as the Red-tailed Hawk.
Conclusion
And that was everything you need to know about the size of Osprey. I hope this article was informative enough and you got something useful from it.
Thank you for Reading!
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