OSPREY

[Heb., peʹres].

One of the “flying creatures” decreed as unclean and not to be eaten, according to the Law covenant. (Lev. 11:13; Deut. 14:12) Its Hebrew name (peʹres) literally means “the breaker.” Understanding this to refer to the breaking of bones by a bird of prey, the Authorized Version renders peʹres as “ossifrage,” a name deriving from Latin and meaning “bone-breaker.” However, ossifrage in English is rather indefinite, since the name has been variously applied to three distinct birds: the lammergeier or bearded vulture, the giant petrel, and the osprey. The English name osprey, in fact, comes from ossifrage via the Old French osfrai. Others understand the Hebrew name to indicate a bird “tearing its prey” apart, and hence not necessarily denoting a breaker of bones.

The osprey, often called the “fish hawk,” appears to be related to the falcons and hawks but with certain distinct features, including feet with some similarity to those of the owl. The osprey’s head and beak resemble those of the hawk, the body and wings are dark brown above and the underparts are white with streaks of brown. Measuring about two and a half feet (.8 meter) in length, it has a wingspan of nearly six feet (1.8 meters). The osprey is found throughout the world, living near large bodies of water, where it feeds on fish that swim near the surface. The bird glides almost effortlessly above the water, wheeling gracefully and hovering until it locates its prey. Then it plunges swiftly downward, striking the water forcefully feet first, at times disappearing beneath the surface. It is admirably equipped for this type of attack, having dense compact plumage on its underparts to withstand some of the impact of hitting the water, and long, curved, very sharp claws that extend out from rough toes, enabling the bird to get a firm grip on its slippery prey. Observers say that, in flying with the fish to shore to devour it, the osprey always grips the fish so that its head faces forward, thereby reducing air resistance. In Palestine the osprey appears particularly along the Mediterranean coast.

Other suggestions for the bird designated by the Hebrew peʹres include the sea eagle (distinct from the osprey), and the lammergeier, a vulture known to carry bones and tortoises to some height and then drop them on rocks in order to break them open.

[Picture on page 1257]

The osprey, a bird not permitted for use as food under the Mosaic Law