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Belted Kingfisher
Scientific Name:
Megaceryle alcyon
Type:
Bird
Habitat:
Most habitats near bodies of water
Range:
North and Central America, the Caribbean, and coastal northern South America
Status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Belted kingfishers are stocky birds most recognizable by their large heads relative to the rest of their bodies. These birds have shaggy crests on top of their heads, thick dagger-like bills, and medium-length tails. Females have broad rust-colored bands on their bellies, whereas males' bands are blue-grey in color. Juveniles belted kingfishers have irregular rusty spotting on their breast bands. Belted kingfishers can most often be spotted perched on edges of rivers and other bodies of water searching for fish.
Fast Facts:
Unlike most sexually dimorphic birds (meaning males and females look different), belted kingfisher females are more brightly colored than males.
Male belted kingfishers will often bring females fish as part of their courtship.
Kingfishers will cough up the indigestible parts of prey, such as bones and scales, in pellets.
The oldest known fossil in the kingfisher genus is two million years old.
Sources:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Belted Kingfisher, 2021, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Belted_Kingfisher/overview
IUCN Red List, Belted Kingfisher, 2021, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22683623/92992287
National Audubon Society, Belted Kingfisher, 2021, https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/belted-kingfisher
Contributor(s):
Haley McGuire (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)