Belted Kingfisher
- Anne Longman
- Jun 9
- 2 min read
Week of 06.09.25
Small and mighty, the belted kingfisher knows what it is about! Often seen darting along shorelines and loudly calling to others, these birds pack lots of personality and are a favorite to spot from canoes or kayaks. Belted kingfishers are blue with a bold white stripe across their neck, a prominent crest, and large beak. Unusually, female belted kingfishers are more colorful than males. Females have orange patches on their breast and more pronounced color variation on their tail feathers. Kingfishers are considered perching birds, a category that encompasses nearly half of all bird species. Perching birds often have feet designed for sitting, featuring three toes facing forward and one facing back. Kingfishers have an extra special pair, called syndactyl feet. Syndactyl means that their toes are fused together, which allows the bird to dig in muddy riverbanks.
These birds really are great fishers! Kingfishers dive headfirst into waterways and capture live fish in their large beaks. They will also eat tadpoles and the occasional crustacean. Unsurprisingly, the kingfisher's preferred habitat is near water! They enjoy rivers, streams, ponds, marshes, and anywhere aquatic food may be. These habitats exist across most of the United States, and the kingfisher has followed. Kingfishers can be seen across North America all summer, but will migrate to areas where water does not freeze to allow for open fishing grounds all winter long.
Did you know? Kingfishers regurgitate pellets of bones and other indigestible portions of their meals. Wildlife biologists use these pellets to study kingfisher diets.
The kingfisher's fused toes are a powerful nest building tool. Kingfishers nest in burrows along shorelines, and dig out holes nearly six feet deep. Kingfishers are susceptible to attacks from hungry minks and rats, who can easily invade these burrows in search of eggs. It takes kingfishers anywhere from three days to three weeks to complete a burrow. Over the course of a season, the floor of the hole will become littered with regurgitated bones and debris, which is theorized to provide extra insulation for their nest.
This week's bird comprised 10% of all the suggestions I have received - definitely a long awaited favorite! As a reminder, you can add your own suggestion on the "suggest a bird" page. You can also leave comments on any post, by submitting your thoughts below. All comments will be set to "pending review" and will be read by a person before posting, so nothing inappropriate, please! Keep your eyes out for kingfishers, and...
Have a great week!
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Art by Anne Longman
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