Ospreys: Africa’s Iconic Sea Hawks

When talking about Ospreys, large fish‑eating raptors that hover over water before diving to snatch prey. Also known as Sea hawks, they belong to the family Pandionidae and are found on almost every continent.

Ospreys are a type of raptor, a bird of prey that uses keen eyesight and talons to hunt. Their hunting technique requires clear water bodies rich in fish, which explains why they favor coastal wetlands, large lakes and river deltas. A healthy habitat, the physical environment where a species lives, including food, nesting sites and climate conditions, directly supports breeding success. In Africa, the Nile Delta and the Zambezi floodplains host some of the largest colonies, and these regions also assist the birds' long‑distance migration, seasonal movement between breeding and wintering grounds that can span thousands of kilometres.

Conservation groups such as BirdLife International, a global partnership that works to protect birds, their habitats and biodiversity have shown that protecting nesting platforms and reducing pesticide use improves Osprey populations. Projects that install artificial nests on power line poles have reduced collision deaths, while community‑based monitoring with apps like eBird tracks breeding success in real time. When wind farms are sited away from prime fishing waters, the risk of fatal collisions drops sharply, illustrating how habitat loss, the degradation or removal of natural environments, threatens raptor numbers can be mitigated with smart planning. Below you’ll find a curated set of stories that dive into Osprey sightings, policy debates, and on‑the‑ground projects shaping the future of these striking sea hawks across Africa.