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Belted Kingfisher | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

AvesRivers, lakes, estuaries and coastlines with clear water and earth banks for nestingLeast Concern

Field profile

The belted kingfisher is a shaggy-crested, blue-grey fish-eater found along water across North America. It hovers or perches before plunging after small fish, and nests in a tunnel dug into a bank. It is one of few birds in which the female is the more colourful sex.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-09-14

Belted Kingfisher

The female wears the brighter plumage

Female belted kingfishers carry a rufous band across the belly and flanks that males lack, making them the more colourful sex. Reversed plumage difference of this kind is rare among North American birds and its function is not settled.

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