Geographical review of the historical and current status of Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) in Utah

Authors

Clark S. Monson, Brigham Young University

Abstract

Small numbers of Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) are known to have nested historically in Utah. A precise baseline figure is unavailable, but the 19th-century Osprey population in Utah probably consisted of at least 15 breeding pairs scattered in 4 geographic regions. Human persecution is believed to have caused the abandonment of nesting territories along the Wasatch Front and in the western Uinta Mountains by 1900 and 1960, respectively. Osprey populations in the southern plateaus and Green River areas, however, began increasing in the late 1970s. Several recent nesting attempts and numerous summer sightings at nontraditional and abandoned historical sites in Utah suggest the Osprey is also expanding its range in Utah. High productivity for local pairs and long-range dispersal from more northerly Osprey populations are discussed as sources for the current surge in Utah's Osprey population, which now consists of approximately 35 breeding pairs.

Recommended Citation

Monson, Clark S. (1996) "Geographical review of the historical and current status of Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) in Utah," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 56: No. 2, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol56/iss2/6