Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon)

                                                                        Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Belted Kingfisher is the only kingfisher in most of North America.  It is a solitary bird of watersides almost everywhere, perched on branches above streams and lakes or on low coastal rocks.

The large-headed Belted Kingfisher has a bushy crest and spear-shaped bill. They hover over small fish and then plunge-dive headfirst into water.

They excavate nest burrows in steep banks.   They fly with rapid, deep, irregular wingbeats.

They breed from Alaska to Newfoundland and south to central California and the Gulf Coast.   They winter on open water from southeast Alaska to Nova Scotia and south to South America.

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BarrytheBirder