First successful breeding of Osprey <em>Pandion haliaetus</em> in Sardinia since 1968

Abstract

In 2020, a pair of ospreys nested in the north western coast of Sardinia and the successful fledging of two chicks is the first record in the island since 1968. The last reported breeding occurred in the eastern coast of the island and after that the species was considered extinct. Ospreys regularly migrate, estivate and winter in Sardinia, with a wintering population of about 40 individuals in 2018. This new breeding episode is not resulting from reintroduction projects and may be related to the dynamics of the close population of Corsica and to the exceptional absence of human disturbance along the coast due to COVID 19 lock-down.