Ospreys returned to breed in Scotland in 1954 after a century's absence and their continued recovery faces threats from illegal egg collecting, fishing line entanglement, and weather.
Ospreys caught in discarded fishing line suffer wing fractures, amputations, and drowning in severe entanglement cases. Illegal egg theft by collectors causes breeding failure and the stress of nest defence against human disturbance. Extreme weather events destroy nests with eggs or chicks, causing acute mortality. Birds impaled on fish hooks swallowed with prey require surgical intervention that is often not possible in wild settings. Winter mortality during migration through southern Europe and Africa from hunting causes ongoing annual welfare burden.