Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Delivers messages with a rattling battle cry. Impossible to miss this one arriving.

Population: ~1.8 million (global breeding population, Partners in Flight); declined ~0.9%/yr from 1966-2019 (cumulative ~38% decline), rated 10/20 on the Continental Concern Score ("relatively low conservation concern")
Habitat: Streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and coastlines across North America; nests in burrows dug into earthen banks near open water (including human-made sand/gravel pits), used as a flight corridor for hunting; sensitive to human disturbance near nest sites
Fun fact: The Belted Kingfisher shows reversed sexual dimorphism for North American birds — the female is more colorful than the male, sporting an extra rufous ("belted") band across her belly that he lacks.
Range: Breeds across nearly all of Canada, Alaska, and the continental United States; northern populations migrate south for winter to the southern US, Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies, with rare visits to northern South America; occasional vagrants recorded on Pacific islands (e.g. Galapagos, Hawaii) and in Europe (British Isles, Azores, Iceland, Greenland, Netherlands)
Diet: Almost entirely aquatic prey — dives from a perch or hover to catch small fish (primary prey) and crayfish; also takes amphibians, mollusks, small crustaceans, insects, small mammals, small birds, reptiles, and occasionally berries
Size: 0.315 m
Wingspan: 0.53 m
Lifespan: 15 years

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