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Identification:
- Length 10-12 inches
- Wingspan 20 inches
- Weight 5 ounces
- Slate blue head, breast band, and back
- Slate blue upper wing that converges to breast with small white spots
- Slate blue tail with many darker and lighter bands
- White throat, chin, and neck
- Has a white spot between its eyes and beak
- Its a large bird with short legs, and big head
- Has a sharp long bill
- Males have entirely white bellies
- Females has a reddish belly band extending down its legs
Habitat:
They inhabit rivers, lakes and saltwater estuaries.
Characteristics:
- The kingfisher gets its name because it is a great fisher. It hovers over
water and dives head first into the water in pursuit of fish. It also perches
on tree limb or anything else over water while searching for fish.
- Their nest are holes dug in sand or gravel embankments by both the male
and female using their bills and feet. The holes can be up to 15 feet in
length but they are usually about 3-6 feet in length. They lay
approximately 5-8 white eggs form May to July.
- The kingfisher has a loud penetrating rattle call. While its flying it
flies with a uneven wing beat producing this noise.
- Breeding habitats are in wetlands and open water.
Taxonomy Hierarchy:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Coraciiformes
- Family: Cerylidae
- Genus: Ceryle
- Species: Ceryle alcyon
Diet:
Their diet mostly consists of fish, but they also feed on aquatic
invertebrates, reptiles, and amphibians
Range:
The kingfisher range is through most of the U.S. and the southern proportion
of Canada.
Click here for Distribution Maps
Winter
Distribution
Summer
Distribution
World Distribution
Home
Biogeography Home
Sources:
1. US Geological Survey
2. Gregory Gough (USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center)
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i3900id.html
3. BCadventures.com
http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/birds/kingfish.htm
4. Bill Pranty
http://www.wildflorida.org/bba/BEKI.htm
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