Newly hatched ospreys are covered with gray down and are helpless. Females closely guard their nestlings from the weather and predators while the male provides the family with food. Although almost fully grown when they leave the nest, young ospreys can be distinguished from their parents by buffy fringes on all of their back feathers. Most ospreys have departed Alaska by October. Ospreys have been known to live for 25 years.
Ospreys occasionally capture small mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles.
Little is known about the status of osprey populations in Alaska. They frequently adapt to human activities, but any disturbances which keep adults from their nests in May or June may cause the eggs or young nestlings to become chilled and die. The osprey is adversely affected by steam or waterway alterations, specifically those which reduce fish populations or visibility in areas traditionally used as feeding areas. Osprey are highly susceptible to egg thinning by pesticide contamination. Osprey populations in the 48 contiguous states are beginning to recover following the ban on DDT and other persistent pesticides.