Paco & Lee

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One of nature’s most skilled fishers—the osprey can be found near lakes, rivers, and coastlines on every continent except Antarctica. Isn't that amazing?! Using keen eyesight to spot their prey from above, they dive down and extend their long legs just before hitting the water to grasp fish. They shut their nostrils to keep water out and use a third eyelid like a built-in pair of swim goggles. Ospreys have uniquely curved talons for gripping fish and rough pads on their feet that help them hold fish in flight. They may completely submerge to catch a fish then turn the fish head-first while flying to cut down wind resistance. A breeding pair returns to the same nest area each year. Both adults help to build the large stick nest. Old nests can easily reach 3 to 6 feet in diameter, over 10 feet deep, and weigh up to 400 pounds! Nests are found near water and on top of trees, posts, rock pinnacles, or even giant cacti! In mid-May the female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated by both parents for five weeks. Females closely guard their nestlings while the male provides the family with food. The nestlings begin wing-flapping at 4-5 weeks and are ready to fly at 7-8 weeks. Almost fully grown, with a wingspan of 5 or more feet, the young ospreys leave the nest sporting buffy fringes on their back feathers which create a scaled look that serves as camouflage. Ospreys bounced back from the brink of extinction after DDT was banned in 1972. However, some populations are in trouble once again. Chicks have died of starvation in Chesapeake Bay due to the decline of the nutrient rich Atlantic menhaden, a fish species that’s among their primary food sources. Possible causes of the shortage are overfishing and climate-change impacts on oceanic conditions. I hope these magnificent birds can be saved!! #osprey #birdsofprey #birds #fishing #wildlife

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My mother marveled at how I could allow a bird to poop on me.😆 However, Paco wasn't "just ANY bird"❣️🥰❣️#lovebird #parrot #preen #poop #celebrationoflife #pets #poophappens #fyp

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A Mini Lesson on Avian Dinosaurs for You: When the renowned 150-million-year-old Archaeopteryx fossil was found in Germany in 1861, many paleontologists believed they had discovered the world’s first bird. As a transitional fossil, Archaeopteryx had a mix of reptilian (teeth and a bony tail) and avian (feathers, wings and a wishbone/furcula) characteristics. Since that initial discovery, about a dozen more Archaeopteryx fossils have been retrieved. Experts have agreed that modern birds are actually living descendants of dinosaurs. In 2009, a fossil of Anchiornis dated 10 million years before Archaeopteryx was found in northeastern China. This avian dinosaur had long, feathered legs and rows of feathers lining each arm. Despite its plumage, Anchiornis couldn’t fly like many modern birds do. Its feathers were too short, but researchers think that it could glide from one tree branch to another in much the same manner as Archaeopteryx was likely to glide. Scientists are still discovering how these birdlike dinosaurs evolved. A range of birds with more advanced features appeared soon after Archaeopteryx. One group gave rise to modern birds in the Late Cretaceous Period. So, for a time, avian dinosaurs, primitive birds and early modern birds all co-existed. One thing is known for sure. ALL of today's remarkable birds are descended from DINOSAURS 🦖 #bird #birds #jurassic #history #cretaceous #nature #wildlife #lineage #avian #dino #dinosaur #evolution #transition #cassowary #pelican #emu #ostrich #sandhillcrane #shoebill #fypage #fyp