Bible Dictionary
OSPRAY
The osprey is a large fish-eating hawk listed among the birds forbidden as food under Israel’s dietary laws. Its habit of diving into water and distinctive appearance probably set it apart from other hawks and eagles.
Definition
The osprey is a large hawk whose diet consists chiefly of fish. It resembles some smaller eagles but is distinguished by its habit of plunging into water, its bare lower legs, and its brighter, more distinctive plumage.
Biblical Usage
The osprey appears only in the lists of birds regarded as abominations and forbidden as food in Leviticus 11:13 and Deuteronomy 14:12.
Historical Background
The osprey was not as numerous as other hawks and eagles, and fish were not plentiful in Palestine. Its distinctive appearance and fish-eating habits likely caused it to be recognized separately.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>os'-pra (`ozniyah; haliaetos; Latin Pandion haliaetus): A large hawk preferring a diet of fish. The word is found in the list of abominations only. See Le 11:13; De 14:12. The osprey was quite similar in appearance to some of the smaller eagles, and by some it is thought that the short-toed eagle is intended. But the eagle and the gier-eagle had been specified, and on account of the osprey plunging into water for food and having feet bare to the lower leg-joint and plumage of brighter and more distinctive marking, it seems very probable that it was recognized as a distinctive species, and so named separately. Moreover, the osprey was not numerous as were other hawks and eagles. It was a bird that lived almost wholly on fish, and these were not plentiful in the waters of Palestine. This would tend to make it a marked bird, so no doubt the translation is correct as it stands, as any hawk that lived on fish would have been barred as an article of diet (see Tristram, Natural History of the Bible, 182; also Studers, Birds of North America, p. 16).</p><p>Gene Stratton-Porter</p>