The belted kingfisher has been a bird that I haven’t observed regularly. That all changed in the last couple of years. Finally the kingfishers in my area found their perfect site for a summer home. I saw them into December 2023. Kingfishers have tropical origins, striking and distinguished in appearance.
Nesting: Not far from my house is a bridge going over a river. On the shore of this river is a bank, a suitable site for the kingfishers to nest. Every time I cross that bridge I glance. Often the birds perch on the wires above the bridge.
Kingfishers, usually solitary, nest in a burrow in a steep bank, preferably near water. The tunnel may be as long as 15 feet, ending in a slightly elevated nest chamber. Feeding: Kingfishers commonly monitor waterways for their main source of food, fish. They dive head-long into the water which is uncommon for small birds, except terns. Fish are caught with their long, sharp beaks. Eats small fish, amphibians and reptiles; crabs, crayfish, salamanders, lizards, mice and insects. After catching a fish they will routinely stun it by beating it against a perch, then turn the fish around so that it can be eaten head-first.
ID: Bushy crest in only on the female; sharp, pointed, dagger-like bill; blue-gray above, white below. Male has a blue-gray breast band; female similar but also with a chestnut belly band. Short legs and feet compared with the head. Very large head and long black bill, a comical sight, easily identified. Tail very short, blue. Short legs and small toes: charcoal. Size: 26-36 cm./11-14” (larger than a robin or pigeon sized). Range: Almost worldwide, with 87 species. Alaska, Canada to south U.S. and in winter to Mexico, West Indies and Panama. Three species are found in the U.S. but the belted is the only one found north of Texas and Canada. Voice: loud, penetrating rattle, given during flight and perching. May emit screams and warbler-like trills during breeding. Habitat: rivers, lakes. Status: least concern, wide distribution, population increasing.
Predators mink, rats, cats. Resources: Birds of Ontario, DR Birds of N.A., Golden, Audubon, Peterson, Lorimer bird books, and Readers’ Digest Wildlife book.
Submitted by Susan Warren