In Mom’s Shade and Shading

Chick Pia looks up to mom and waits for a meal. Rachel has been keeping the chicks cool and shaded under her wing in the Osprey nest on the Live Cam.

When it comes to those vibrant feathers, Pia’s shading will change in the coming year. Here’s what to look for from below:

Ospreys are brown above and white below, and overall they are whiter than most raptors. From below, the wings are mostly white with a prominent dark patch at the wrists. The head is white with a broad brown stripe through the eye. Juveniles have white spots on the back and buffy shading on the breast….

Ospreys are the only large raptors with extensive, unmarked white on the belly. Immature Bald Eagles may be extensively mottled with white on their dark brown bodies, but they don’t show the Osprey’s clean white underparts, and young Bald Eagles don’t have white heads, either. (AllAboutBirds)