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Belted Kingfisher
Photos by Bruce
Dayton
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ORDER:
Coraciiformes
FAMILY:
Alcedinidae (Kingfishers - 3 Species)
SPECIES:
Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon)
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Belted Kingfisher |
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Belted Kingfishers usually only eat small fish. Belted Kingfishers are a benefit to fishermen. By eating many small fish, this decreases competition among fish for food and allows existing fish to grow bigger. But they can become a nuisance when they are near fish hatcheries, which raise small fish (trout) to be transferred to other bodies of water after they reach the proper size. |
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SIZE |
The Belted Kingfisher is a large (10-13") bird, similar in size to a pigeon. |
| DESCRIPTION |
The Belted Kingfisher has bluish-gray plumage on the back and wings, white belly with a broad gray breast band, they have a long, straight bill and a distinctive shaggy crest and a broad white collar around the neck. Sexes are similar in appearance, but the female has rust colored breast band and rust colored plumage along the sides of the belly. |
| NESTING | Clutch size ranges from 5-8 eggs, which are incubated in 20 to 24 days. They make their nests by burrowing (both parents participate) in the banks of creeks. The size and shape of the burrows openings vary considerably, but the openings are usually 10-12" in diameter. |
| RANGE | This is the only member of the Alcedinidae family found in the northern United States and Canada. |
| HABITAT | The Belted Kingfishers breeding habitat is areas near inland bodies of waters or coasts in Alaska Canada and the northern parts of the United States. |
| DIET | It is often seen perched prominently on trees, posts, or other suitable watch- points close to water before plunging in head first after a small fish. They also eat small crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, small mammals, lizards and berries. |
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| Belted Kingfisher | |
| Montezuma
National Wildlife Refuge Seneca County, New York |
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| BtKf_215A_201058 | BtKf_215A_201187 |
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| Belted
Kingfisher Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes |
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| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Polar regions |
| Earth's polar regions are the areas of the globe surrounding the poles. Polar regions are characterized by the polar climate, extremely cold temperatures, heavy glaciations, and extreme variations in daylight hours, with 24 hour daylight in summer (the midnight sun), and permanent darkness at mid-winter. |
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Please email with any ideas or comments concerning this web page. |
| The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit. |
NOTE: This site will be updated as time and pictures become available.
Visit Mammals of North America
Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon)
Updated 10-19-2008
