Yesterday there was a post on another facebook page about an ospreys eyes. The osprey actually had its eyes closed, so it looked totally white. The post was closed to comments but I thought I could do a little educating here because there was some incorrect info there. Its common for ospreys to close their eyes, often one and a time, which rests the opposite side of the brain. They also snooze for short periods, both eyes closed. An ospreys eyes close from the bottom up, and the eyelid is white. Many people suggested that what was being seen was the nictitating membrane.....but it was not. The nictitating membrane is milky clear......they can see thru it. It is closed from the side, when diving, to protect the eye surface while still allowing them see. We can still see their eye when the membrane closes. Depending on the light, it can look more milky and reflects light. Here is a photo of an osprey with its nictitating membrane covering the eye. Next image is a photo of a osprey with its regular eyelid closed. Hope this clarifies some things about osprey eyes!
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