Awesome Animal Fact - Massive Osprey Nests

There's an old hanging footbridge in Warsaw, Missouri. We decided to check it out recently, and we noticed an Osprey had built a nest at the very top of one of the supports.

Ospreys are large fish-eating raptors, with a wingspan of about six feet (1.8 meters). Chances are, you have seen an osprey, regardless of where you live. Why? Because the osprey is one of only six birds with a worldwide distribution (except Antarctica). Amazingly, this bird thrives in the warm tropics as well as in cold arctic regions.

See that huge nest the Osprey is sitting on? These birds like to make 'em big! They often add more sticks to their nests every year, and some nests have been reused over and over for up to seventy years. Not by the same bird, though, as ospreys only live to be about ten years old. These stick nests are often two meters across and weigh 300 pounds (135 kg).