Ospreys are also the sole members of the Pandioniae family. Ospreys can be found on every continent except Antarctica. In North America they can be found along the Great Lakes and on up into Alaska during the summer and south into Mexico and Central America in the winter. Ospreys breed from Alaska to Nova Scotia and south to the Great Lakes and along both coasts of the United States clear into Florida. Some breeding pairs have even been seen in the Caribbean Islands.
Ospreys are a migratory species.
They leave their breeding grounds in September-October to winter in the south. Then in early March mated pairs return to their breeding grounds and are often on the nest by mid March in the southern reaches of their breeding range and by April in the northern zones. Interestingly the breed does not build up fat stores for its migration preferring instead to hunt along the way. The Osprey is completely carnivorous eating almost exclusively fish. The Osprey will often completely submerge itself while attempting to catch a fish.