Fish: it's what's for breakfast, lunch and dinner for this bird of prey.
Widely admired for its fishing prowess, it's the continent's only raptor that plunge dives to catch live fish as its main prey. This bird has a reversible outer toe that allows it to grasp with two toes in the front and two behind.
Velcro-like pads on the soles of its feet help grip slippery fish. Its fishing success rate is sometimes as high as 70%, and it fishes from above for an average of 12 minutes before making a catch: something to ponder the next time you wet a line.
Who is this pro angler? The osprey. Watch for them in the Natural State around nearly any body of water, especially during spring and fall migration.
you can learn more at AllAboutBirds.org.
