Many of the over-water structures that are necessary to protect them from predators already have ospreys in residence, so new breeders must either displace older, established nesting birds or find another, perhaps marginal site that others have refused for good reason. Their habitats include shallow water estuaries, lakes, and rivers. Ospreys usually mate for life. March ushers in a five-month period of partnership to raise their young. The eggs are approximately the size of very large chicken eggs, mottled and the color of cinnamon.
Osprey eggs incubate for about five weeks.
After hatching, the 2-ounce chicks become fliers within eight weeks. When food is scarce, the first chicks to hatch are the most likely to survive. In spring and summer ospreys find an abundance of medium-sized fish, such as menhaden , to feed their young. Males forage widely, while females stay on or near the nest. Ospreys hunt by soaring over water, scanning for surface schooling or spawning fish.