The 10-year migration count trends for the Osprey suggest widespread declining numbers across North America as 64% of 77 sites recorded declining counts and 27% recorded stable counts with few increasing trends detected. In the East Region, patterns are similar as 66% of 55 sites recorded declining counts in the last decade and 25% were stable. Most of the Gulf and Central sites reported declining counts, whereas only 37% of the Western sites reported a declining count and most showed stable numbers (see pie charts and trend maps below). Declines during the past decade seem clustered in the eastern Great Lakes and Appalachians. Twenty-year count trends (not shown), however, showed considerably mixed trends varying among regions, which may indicate that the declines are a new or worsening phenomenon.

Some researchers suggest the increasing population of Bald Eagles at inland lakes and rivers may be limiting safe and suitable nesting sites for Osprey. Along the Atlantic coast, Osprey often cluster in colonies and appear better able to stave off competition and predation by larger Bald Eagles, however coastal populations appear to show recent declines as well. More research is needed to understand the reasons for the observed declines. Bald Eagle predation and competition, declining food supplies, and contaminants have all been suggested.

Winter survey data from the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) only records data on Osprey in southern coastal states from Virginia to Florida and west to Texas and to California, Oregon, Washington. The trends for wintering Osprey show mostly increasing or stable abundance trends between 2009-2022 for these coastal populations, except in Washington where declines are noted. Additionally, eBird 10-year trend data indicates increasing abundance for Osprey with a population increase of 1.9% between 2012-2022. However, the eBird data indicates potential declines in other regions, such as in Canada (-16.1% over the 10-year period). The Osprey is found globally and is listed as a Species of Least Concern throughout its range by the IUCN Red List, but it is vulnerable to threats such as loss of habitat, increasing competition, bioaccumulation of heavy metals, and contaminants, collisions, and entanglement.