The osprey is one of Scotland’s most iconic birds of prey. These birds fly a great distance to spend summers in Scotland before migrating back to Africa for the winter. Ospreys usually nest near areas of water, like rivers and lochs – this is because they love to eat fish! Our Loch of the Lowes Reserve in Perthshire has frequent summer osprey visitors! We have lots of footage of the nest from over the years, plus a live camera during their nesting period – check it out on our YouTube here.
Here are some osprey fast facts:
- They are one of our largest birds with a 1.5 metre wingspan
- Ospreys fly up to 7,000 miles a year, migrating to Africa for the winter
- They can spot a fish from a height of up to 100 metres
- Osprey nests can be as large as a double bed
- They can catch fish as heavy as they are!
You can find out even more about ospreys by reading our Osprey Fact File!
Print out our template below to make your own magnificent osprey!
What you will need:
- Printed activity sheet
- Scissors
- Glue
- String/tread/twine
- Paper (optional)
- Coloured pencils (optional)
- Printed colouring sheet (optional)
How to make a flying osprey:
- Carefully cut out each osprey part – the wings can be fiddly (you may need an adult to help you). Another option is to trace the osprey parts onto plain paper and colour them in.
- Glue the wings on to the underside of the body where shown on the template. Loop the top of body (cream part) under the wings and glue in place just behind the wings.
- Form the head by gluing the two ends together to make a ring shape. Fold the beak and glue on to the head between the eyes. Glue the head to the front of the body.
- Loop the string under the wings to hang. Your osprey is ready to fly!
Looking for more awesome osprey activities? You can find more on our Discovery Den, including some osprey colouring in and an osprey quiz!
Share photos of your ospreys with us by using #DiscoverLearnPlay