Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Even the most determined angler can never be assured of being first to arrive at their favourite fishing hole. If the fishing’s good, a Belted Kingfisher will easily beat them to it.

Habitat

Look for Belted Kingfishers along rivers, creeks, lakes, and some wetlands, like ponds and marshes, that have small fish, places to perch overlooking the water, and earth banks. You can find them across most of North America over summer. Those in Canada, Alaska, and the northern United States, will migrate south for winter to similar habitats in the southern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

You can find Belted Kingfishers at Oak Hammock Marsh!

Food

Small fish, crayfish, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, and even small birds and mammals, are all food for the Belted Kingfisher.

Behaviour

Kingfishers hunt from a branch, powerline, bridge, or even a building, that overhangs the water. When they spy something, they dive down and grab it with their bill. Back on their perch, they hit their catch against the branch or railing and eat it headfirst. Nesting sees them dig a burrow into a mud or sand bank that may be anywhere from 30 cm (1 ft) to 2.4 m (8 ft) long. They will defend their territory with a distinct
rattling call.

Conservation

Overall, Belted Kingfishers are of low conservation concern. They were hunted and trapped to stop them from killing fish near hatcheries and streams, but this practice is now banned. Also, compared to other similar fish-eating birds, they seem to be unaffected by contaminants, possibly because the small fish they eat do not accumulate as much toxins as the larger fish other birds eat. Lastly, kingfishers have adapted to using human-made nesting sites, such as sand and gravel pits, so long as there is not too much disruptive disturbance.

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