Belted Kingfisher
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
At a Glance
The Belted Kingfisher is widespread across most of North America but wanders widely, sometimes found in Britian, Ireland, Hawaii, Galapagos Islands, Greenland, Iceland, and the Netherlands. It is often first noticed by its rattling call as it flies along rivers or lakes. Perches on a high snag or hovers while rapidly beating wings before plunging headfirst into the water to grab fish or crayfish.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Kingfishers
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Coasts and Shorelines, Freshwater Wetlands, Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers, Saltwater Wetlands
Region
Alaska and The North, California, Eastern Canada, Florida, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, New England, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southeast, Southwest, Texas, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight, Flap/Glide, Hovering
Population
1.800.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Mostly partial migrants in the United States where open water and food is available during winter months. A few may overwinter as far north as water remains open, including southern coast of Alaska. Some from North America migrate as far south as Central America, West Indies, northern South America. Migrants tend to follow rivers, lakeshores, and coastlines. Possible evidence of nocturnal migration, none of diurnal flocking.
Description
Sexes similar — Length: 11-13.8 in (28-35 cm); wingspan: 19-22.8 in (48-58 cm) weight: 5-6 oz (140-170 g). Blue-gray back with white under belly. Male has one blue-gray band whereas female has blue-gray pectoral band and rusty band on belly and is more bright than the male. Juvenile has rusty spotting on breast bands and more white on wings and tail feathers.
Size
About the size of a Crow, About the size of a Robin
Color
Blue, Gray, Orange, Reddish Brown, White, Red
Wing Shape
Narrow, Pointed, Tapered
Tail Shape
Rounded, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls
Loud, penetrating rattle at any disturbance or territory dispute. May emit a scream by both sexes while displaying a threat or retreating from a conflict.
Call Pattern
Falling, Flat
Call Type
Buzz, Rattle, Scream, Trill
Habitat
The Belted Kingfish depends on water for food and can be found along streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, bays, or coasts in areas with perches and visible prey. During the breeding season, may be found nested in banks, in areas with dirt banks for nesting holes. During winter and migration, can be found in most aquatic habitats including the edges of small streams and ponds, large rivers and lakes, marshes, estuaries, and rocky coastlines.
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Behavior
Eggs
6-7, sometimes 5-8. White and glossy. Incubation is by both sexes for 22-24 days. The female Belted Kingfisher incubates at night, with the male taking over early in morning; male may or may not do less of incubation than female.
Young
Both the male and female Belted Kingfisher feed the young and have 1 brood per year, sometimes 2 in the south; first with partially digested fish and later whole fish. Nestlings chatter and huddle, leaving the nest from 27-29 days after hatching but are still fed by both parents for 3 weeks. Acidic stomachs help the juvenile Belted Kingfisher digest bones, scales, shells, and other parts of prey until they leave the nest.
Feeding Behavior
Forages by plunging headfirst into water with closed eyes and capturing prey near the water surface with straight bill. The Belted Kingfisher watches for prey for branches, wires, rocks, or other perches above the water; may also hover above the water before diving. Bones, scales, shells, and other indigestible parts of prey are disgorged later as pellets.
Diet
Mostly small fish such as trout, sticklebacks, or mummichogs but also eat crayfish, frogs, tadpoles, aquatic insects. May take prey away from the water, including small mammals, young birds, and reptiles and has been reported to eat berries.
Nesting
In courtship display, the male Belted Kingfisher presents a fish to the female who lands nearby and may eat the fish. Nest site is in a suitable bank, preferring sandy areas. Both sexes take part in digging a long horizontal tunnel with nest chamber at end. Tunnel is generally 2.5-6=6 ft long and usually slopes upward from entrance. The Belted Kingfisher rarely nests in a tree cavity. Usually, no lining added to nest chamber, but debris and undigested fish bones and scales may accumulate.
Conservation
Conservation Status
The Belted Kingfisher was once hunted near streams and hatcheries to stop them from preying on fish, resulting in population declines, but today it is considered of low conservation concern. Are vulnerable to loss of nesting sites and disturbance during the breeding season, and may leave territories with more humans.
Climate Threats Facing the Belted Kingfisher
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.
