ABSTRACT
The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a cosmopolitan raptor species exhibiting a leap-frog migration pattern, with both long- and short-distance migratory as well as resident populations. It is a versatile flyer representing an exception among raptor species since it is capable of flying over several hundred kilometres of open water. The species generally migrates on a broad front, performing a fly-and-forage strategy combined with stopover periods. In the Western Palearctic, its breeding range stretches from Northern Europe to Northern African coasts and oceanic islands on the west, and to Red Sea and Persian Gulf on the east. Three main migration routes, partially overlapping across populations, have been revealed by long-term ringing and satellite tracking studies. The first leads from Western Europe to Western sub-Saharan Africa passing through the Iberian Peninsula; the second from Western and Central Europe to Western and Central sub-Saharan Africa passing through Italian coasts and/or Balkan Peninsula; the third from Central and Eastern Europe to Western, Central and Eastern sub-Saharan Africa through Middle East. Wintering grounds of European migratory populations spread along a wide belt from west to east in sub-Saharan Africa and can partially overlap among populations. Ospreys breeding at lower latitudes, such as in the Mediterranean basin are sedentary or perform short-distance inter-breeding movements, mostly wintering at temperate latitudes along the North African coasts or in Southern Spain and Italy. Ospreys from Cape Verde, Canary Islands. Red Sea and Persian Gulf represent no-migratory populations, breeding at lower latitudes for the Western Palearctic.
