Belted Kingfisher (Birds)

ORDER

Coraciiformes

FAMILY

Alcedinidae

GENUS & SPECIES

Megaceryle alcyon
Belted Kingfisher

key features

• Most prevalent kingfisher in North America
• Hovers and plunges headfirst into the water to snatch a fish
• Makes a loud, rattling call as it flies
• The female lays her eggs at the end of a long tunnel near the water

where in the world?

Found in Alaska, Canada and throughout the entire U.S.; also Mexico, the West indies, Panama and Central America
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LIFECYCLE

Sometimes called the lazy bird, the belted kingfisher can be spotted perched on pier posts or hovering above the water before making its lightning-fast attack on prey.


HABITAT

The kingfisher lives nearwater, whether along the sea coast, creeks, ponds, lakes or mountain streams; it prefers clear waters with overhanging trees or other perches. It also can be found in mangroves, tidal creeks, swamps and garden ponds in elevations from sea level to 10,000′ in the Rocky Mountains. Though it winters over most of its breeding range in the U.S. and southern Canada, the kingfisher is an occasional migrant to Central America and the West Indies.
Florida resident A female perches high above her Everglades home.
 Florida resident A female perches high above her Everglades home.
When pursuing prey, flight speeds of the belted kingfisher range from 36-45 mph, depending on wind factors.

FOOD & HUNTING

The belted kingfisher hunts from a perch when the water surface is calm. The bird eats mainly small fish, either by diving from its perch and seizing the fish with its powerful bill or by hovering about 20′ above the water and making a straight or spiral dive. From the air; the bird swoops close to the water’s surface and dips down to catch a meal, closing its eyes at the last instant. Most aquatic prey is caught about 2′ below the water’s surface; the bird spreads its wings underwater to break the dive. No matter which method the kingfisher chooses, it takes the captured fish back to its perch, beats it against a hard object, such as post or branch, and then tosses it into the air, swallowing the morsel head first. The belted kingfisher also eats insects, crayfish, clams, oysters, frogs, small snakes, mussels, turtles, grasshoppers, moths, beetles, young birds, mice, berries and bullfrog tadpoles. While fish are swallowed whole, invertebrates are often torn into pieces after being beaten against a hard surface.
#The belted kingfisher disgorges pellets of fish bones, scales and other indigestible parts of food.
#The belted kingfisher disgorges pellets of fish bones, scales and other indigestible parts of food.

beat and eat

Hover
1 Hover…
The belted kingfisher hovers above a stream, scanning the water’s surface for prey.
Plunge
2 Plunge…
Spotting a crayfish, the kingfisher plunges headfirst into the water with its bill and eyes closed.
Beat
3 Beat…
The bird brings the captured crayfish to its perch and thrashes it against the tree branch.
 Eat
4 Eat
The kingfisher dismembers the crayfish with its sharp bill before eating it, ignoring the fallen claw.

BEHAVIOR

The territorial kingfisher will perch regularly on dead branches over water or on piers — perfect vantage points for watching prey At night, the belted kingfisher often can be spotted roosting on dead tree limbs. Its loud, rattling call can be heard as the bird flies from its perch in search of food. Not afraid of humans, the bird is always on the lookout for its predators, mainly birds of prey Sometimes the kingfisher dives below the water’s surface to escape the attacks of a peregrine falcon or Cooper’s hawk.The bird is solitary except during the nesting season.
Delicate balance A male approaches his tunnel nest with food.
Delicate balance A male approaches his tunnel nest with food.

BREEDING

The male belted kingfisher marks the start of the breeding season in the spring with noisy chasing flights within its territory.The male will feed the female as part of the courtship ritual. Pairs, which mate for life, emit high-pitched squeaks during courtship flights.
Nest-building is elaborate and time-consuming. Both sexes dig a nesting tunnel 4-8′ long in the steep section of a river bank, at the end of which they make a nesting chamber Depending on the soi type, the nest can take from three days to three weeks to dig.The nesting chamber at the end of the burrow is often lined with clean white fish bones. Some belted kingfishers have also been known to nest in the tops of hollow stumps or in tree cavities.The female lays 5-8 white eggs, which are then incubated by both parents for about 23 days.The eggs hatch at daily intervals; thus, the chicks vary greatly in size. Both parents feed the young small fish, which they carefully deposit into the hungry mouths. Each chick eats up to 15 small fish a day which keeps the parents extremely busy The chicks are ready to leave the nest in about 30-35 days.

conservation

The belted kingfisher populations remain strong, and the bird is not currently threatened.The kingfisher’s widespread range heavily contributes to its success, unlike some other species of kingfisher with more limited confines on isolated islands.
Dinner time Hungry juveniles line up inside their tunnel nest, waiting for their parents.
 Dinner time Hungry juveniles line up inside their tunnel nest, waiting for their parents.

PROFILE

Belted Kingfisher

The large blue-gray head and conspicuous crest of the belted kingfisher contrast with its small body, short tail and tiny feet.
Belted Kingfisher

CREATURE COMPARISONS

The beach kingfisher (Halcyon saurophaga) is found in mangrove swamps, coasts and offshore islands from Indonesia and northern New Guinea around the Bismarck Sea and the Solomons, far from its cousin. Slightly smaller than the belted kingfisher; the more colorful beach kingfisher has a large black-and-white bill, a white head and underparts and a bright blue and green coloring. Its crown varies from white to blue.The diets of both birds are similar; both favor fish, crabs, insects and lizards. Both species dive and plunge for fish, and both are noisy, solitary birds that sometimes travel and feed in pairs.The beach kingfisher nests in a tree hole, while the belted kingfisher prefers a tunnel.

vital statistics
Weight I Length
Sexual Maturity 1 “,r
Breeding Season April-July
Number ‘- of Eggs
Incubation Period 23 days
Fledging Period 30-35 days
Breeding Interval 1 year
Typical | Diet Fish, frogs, crabs, crayfish, lizards, snakes, insects, birds and mice
Lifespan Unknown

Related species

• The belted kingfisher is 1 of over 85 species of kingfisher in the family Alcedinidae and 1 of 4 species in the genus Megaceryle, which includes the giant kingfisher, M. maxima. The belted kingfisher is one of the most widespread and well known of the kingfishers that hunt fish. Other kingfishers, including the sacred J. kingfisher, Halcyon sancta, prefer ,insects.

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