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Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon Order CORACIIFORMES - Family ALCEDINIDAE
Summary Detailed
For complete Life History Information on this species, visit Birds of North America Online.

Belted Kingfisher, male
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Belted Kingfisher, male
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Belted Kingfisher enlarge
About the map
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Belted Kingfisher, female
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Belted Kingfisher, female
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  1. Cool Facts
  2. Description
  3. Similar Species
  4. Sound
  5. Range
  6. Habitat
  7. Food
  8. Behavior
  9. Reproduction
  10. Conservation Status
  11. Other Names

A common waterside resident throughout North America, the Belted Kingfisher is often seen hovering before it plunges headfirst into water to catch a fish. It frequently announces its presence by its loud rattling cry.

Cool Facts

  • The breeding distribution of the Belted Kingfisher is limited in some areas by the availability of suitable nesting sites. Human activity, such as road building and digging gravel pits, has created banks where kingfishers can nest and allowed the expansion of the breeding range.

  • The Belted Kingfisher is one of the few bird species in which the female is more brightly colored than the male. Among the 93 species of kingfishers, the sexes often look alike. In some species the male is more colorful, and in others the female is.

  • During breeding season the Belted Kingfisher pair defends a territory against other kingfishers. A territory along a stream includes just the streambed and the vegetation along it, and averages 1 km (0.6 mi) long.The nest burrow is usually in a dirt bank near water. The tunnel slopes upward from the entrance, perhaps to keep water from entering the nest. Tunnel length ranges from 30 to 250 cm (1 to 8 ft).

Description

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  • Size: 28-35 cm (11-14 in)
  • Wingspan: 48-58 cm (19-23 in)
  • Weight: 140-170 g (4.94-6.0 ounces)

  • Medium-sized bird.
  • Large head and shaggy crest.
  • Large, thick bill.
  • Bluish head and back.
  • White throat and collar.
  • White underneath with blue breast band.

e spot in middle of top of wing, visible in flight.

  • Wings white underneath.
  • Tail rather short, bluish on top, barred black and white on sides and underneath.
  • White spot in front of eyes.
  • Bill dark with pale base to lower mandible.
  • Eyes dark.
  • Tiny legs and feet slate gray with yellowish on back.
  • Dark breast band may include red and blue.

    Sex Differences

    Female with red chest band and flanks, male without.

    Male

    Belly white, without rufous band. May have rufous flanks and some reddish in blue chest band.

    Female

    Rufous flanks and band across chest below the blue band. Rufous tips to feathers in blue chest band.

    Immature

    Immature like adult, but immature male has incomplete rufous chest band.

    Similar Species

    • Blue Jay is slimmer, has a more pointed crest, and a thin dark necklace instead of a broad chest band.
    • Ringed Kingfisher is similar, but is larger and has extensive rufous belly.
    • Green Kingfisher is smaller, green, not blue, and lacks the large white spot in the wing.

    Sound

    Call a loud, harsh rattle.

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    Range

    Range Map
    Belted Kingfisher

    © 2003 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
    About the map

    Summer Range

    Breeds from Alaska to Newfoundland, southward to southern United States.

    Winter Range

    Winters from southern Canada southward to northern South America.

    Habitat

    • Breeds along streams, rivers, lakes, and estuaries with banks for nest holes.
    • Winters along coast, streams, and lakes.

    Food

    Fish. Also aquatic invertebrates, insects, and small vertebrates.

    Behavior

    Foraging

    Watches in clear water from perch or while hovering, plunges into water headfirst to catch prey in bill. Pounds prey on perch to kill it.

    Reproduction

    Nest Type

    Nest in burrow in bank near water. No lining used.

    Egg Description

    White.

    Clutch Size

    5-8 eggs.

    Condition at Hatching

    Helpless and naked.

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    Conservation Status

    Populations may be decreasing in many areas.

    Other Names

    Martin-pêcheur d'Amérique (French)
    Martín Pescador Norteño, Martín Pescador Migratorio, Martín Pescador Pasajero (Spanish)

    Sources used to construct this page:

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    Hamas, M. J. 1994. Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon). In The Birds of North America, No. 84 (A. Poole, and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.

     
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