Bible Dictionary
Osprey
The osprey was probably one of the fish-eating or eagle-like birds listed as unclean under the Mosaic law. The exact species represented by the Hebrew term is uncertain.
Definition
The osprey was probably one of the fish-eating or eagle-like birds named among those forbidden as food under the Mosaic law. The exact species represented by the Hebrew term is uncertain.
Biblical Usage
The bird appears in the lists of unclean birds in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
Historical Background
Proposed identifications include the fish-eating osprey, the white-tailed eagle, and the short-toed eagle, all associated in the supplied material with the eagle family found in or near Palestine.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Heb. ‘ozniyyah, an unclean bird according to the Mosaic law (Lev. 11:13; Deut. 14:12); the fish-eating eagle (Pandion haliaetus); one of the lesser eagles. But the Hebrew word may be taken to denote the short-toed eagle (Circaetus gallicus of Southern Europe), one of the most abundant of the eagle tribe found in Palestine.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
The Hebrew word occurs in (Leviticus 11:13) and Deuteronomy 14:12 So the name of some unclean bird. It’s probably either the osprey (Pandion haliaetus) or the white-tailed eagle (Haliaetus albicella).