belted kingfishers
are common along streams and shorelines across
north america
You’ll probably hear a loud, rattling call before you see the kingfisher.
Why is it called a belted kingfisher?
What’s in a Name? Belted kingfishers get their common name from the band or “belt” that is present on their breast and on the female’s belly Their scientific name is Megaceryle alcyon.
How can you tell a belted kingfisher?
Belted Kingfishers are stocky, large-headed birds with a shaggy crest on the top and back of the head and a straight, thick, pointed bill Their legs are short and their tails are medium length and square-tipped.
Why is the blue banded kingfisher endangered?
This species is suspected to be undergoing a continuing population decline as a result of significant losses in the extent of this habitat throughout its range. The human population brings large demand and pressure on natural resources, which has led to a massive reduction in forest cover.
What is special about a Belted Kingfisher?
Belted Kingfishers have two fused toes Most birds have three forward-facing toes and one backward. The position of the toes helps scientists distinguish this order of birds from others.
How many belted kingfishers are there in the world?
The All About Birds resource states that the global breeding population of the Belted kingfisher consists of 1.7 million individuals , 70% spending part of the year in North America and 49% in Canada, with 19% wintering in Mexico.
Where does the Belted Kingfisher nest?
Belted Kingfishers excavate burrows in earthen banks , usually avoiding ones with vegetation (especially trees, whose roots get in the way of digging). They generally choose a bank near water, but may use a ditch, road cut, landfill,
sand pit
, or gravel pit far from water.
Where do belted kingfishers migrate to?
Kingfishers breed as far north as northern Alaska and Canada, and these birds migrate south for winter. Belted Kingfishers winter throughout Mexico and Central America to northern Venezuela and Colombia Of the populations that do migrate, males seem to travel shorter distances than females.
What does a Belted Kingfisher eat?
Typically feeds on small fish, usually those less than 4-5″ long. Also eats crayfish, frogs, tadpoles, aquatic insects. Occasionally takes prey away from water, including small mammals, young birds, lizards.
Where does the blue banded kingfisher live?
The species is endemic to Java, Indonesia , where apparently there are only a very limited number of confirmed records since the 1930s.
How many fish does a kingfisher eat a day?
Each chick can eat 12-18 fish a day , and they are fed in rotation once a chick is fed, it moves to the back of the nest to digest its meal, causing the others to move forward. The chicks are normally ready to leave the nest when they are 24-25 days old, but if the fish supply is poor, they can take up to 37 days.
Do kingfishers only eat fish?
Look out for rivers with minnows and sticklebacks, as these are fish the Kingfisher most enjoys. If supply of these is low, Kingfishers will happily top up on aquatics insects, shrimps and tadpoles. To survive, a Kingfisher must consume its own body weight in fish each and every day.
How long do kingfisher birds live?
About only half survive more than a week or two What is this? Very few birds live longer than one
breeding season
. The oldest kingfisher on record was 21 years of age.
How long do belted kingfishers live?
The average lifespan of Belted Kingfisher birds is around 14 years.
What’s the difference between a male and a female kingfisher?
The female is identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a
black tip
The juvenile is similar to the adult, but with duller and greener upperparts and paler underparts. Its bill is black, and the legs are also initially black.
What eats a kingfisher?
Most known predators of adult kingfisher are raptors. Nest predators include foxes, minks, dingoes, skunks, raccoons, chimpanzees, snakes , monitor lizards, driver ants, and mongooses.
Do kingfishers eat other birds?
In open country they eat insects, spiders, lizards, mice and small birds.
What time of day do kingfishers feed?
By far the best time is early in the morning when the birds are hungry after the night or after heavy rainfall. They are most busy during the breeding season when more hungry mouths force parents to hunt all day. Kingfishers can have up to three broods in a summer so the nesting season is long.
How fast does a Belted Kingfisher fly?
3: [p. 21) recorded “steady level flight” of 36 miles per hour for the Belted Kingfisher (in California). All during our observation the Kingfisher flew with apparent ease and remained between 10 and 15 feet above the water’s surface, following each curve and bend of the river consistently.
What months of the year do kingfishers breed?
Kingfisher breeding habitats and nest sites are described, with details of tunnel length and height above water. The breeding season is extensive, egg-laying taking place from early March to late July Two broods are usual, with occasionally a third.
Where is the best place to see a kingfisher?
Kingfishers can be seen on almost any river, canal, park lake or gravel pit Sometimes they will even fish at large garden ponds.
Where does the kingfisher stay?
Kingfishers occupy a wide range of habitats. While they are often associated with rivers and lakes, over half the world’s species are found in forests and forested streams They also occupy a wide range of other habitats.
What do kingfishers do in winter?
In winter, some individuals move to estuaries and the coast Occasionally they may visit garden ponds if of a suitable size.
Are kingfishers shy birds?
The Belted Kingfisher is an extremely shy bird Trying to photograph this bird takes a lot of patience and a good hiding spot. If you know where it perches, that might be the place to try to get a photo.
References
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Belted_Kingfisher/overview
https://xeno-canto.org/species/Lacedo-pulchella