Ponds that Kingfishers use are about to freeze over...

 

Photos by Dave Kemp

My online acquaintance Dave Kemp on Vancouver Island in British Columbia sent along  photos of a Kingfishers that he took recently.

The Belted Kingfisher is the only Kingfisher in most of North America.  They are large-headed birds with bushy crests and spear-shaped bills.   Males and females both have slate blue breast bands, white bellies and under-tail coverts, while the females also have rust belly bands  and under-tail coverts.

They are conspicuous and common along rivers and brooks, ponds and lakes, and estuaries especially during the breeding season.

They are generally solitary and found across Canada in summer, across the U.S. year around and in the south-west U.S. and Mexico in winter.   It is the only Kingfisher found across most of its range, except along the Mexican border.

They plunge headfirst into water from a perch or a hover above water to catch small fish.   They feed primarily on fish, but also take amphibians, reptiles, insects, crustaceans and mollusks.

Their population in North America is thought to be in slight decline.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder