DENIZEN OF THE WATERWAYS
By Jeannie Marcure
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Hear the Belted Kingfisher sing!
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Since May is the month that many Montanans return to our
beautiful lakes and steams for recreation, it seems
appropriate that our featured bird this month is one
seen almost exclusively on or near the water. My
favorite form of water recreation involves paddling a
small kayak with binoculars and camera close at hand.
Not only is this activity good exercise, but it also
offers some of my best bird watching and photography
encounters of the year. Combine the quietness of a kayak
with its ability to reach places otherwise unattainable
and you have the perfect opportunity for some great
birding! I might also add that part of my fascination
with this particular bird is the fact that even after
hundreds of opportunities; I’ve never been able to get a
good photograph. Somewhat of a tease, he often lets me
approach quite closely but then just as I focus for the
perfect shot, he gives his raucous call and flies up the
shoreline to a new perch. Something about his sassy
demeanor as he watches me, tells me that he enjoys this
little game we play!
Often seen perched jauntily on a branch hanging over the
water, the Belted Kingfisher is found throughout most of
North America and is fairly common here in the Flathead
Valley. Two other species, the Ringed Kingfisher and the
Green Kingfisher are also found in North America but
these two, while common in the neotropics, are rarely
seen beyond the Rio Grande area of southern Texas.
The Belted Kingfisher is stocky and short-legged with a
large shaggy, crested head, and a long, thick bill. Both
male and female have blue-gray heads, backs, wings and
chest bands with white throats and bellies. The female
has an additional rust colored belly band and is one of
the few North American birds who is more colorful than
her partner. Kingfishers emit a hoarse woody rattle
usually while in flight or when disturbed from their
fishing perch and this distinctive sound helps me spot
many Kingfishers who would otherwise go unnoticed as
they sit quietly in the waterside brush. You can hear
this call on the net
here.
According to Sibley, Belted Kingfishers eat mainly small
fish that are captured under water but they also consume
amphibians, reptiles and aquatic insects. Since they
hunt by sight, they need clear water and can be found on
favorite perching spots along streams, rivers, ponds and
lakes. Interestingly, Kingfishers are able to see well
both in the air and under water, thanks to an egg-shaped
lens in their eyes which allows them to focus in both
environments. They hunt by sitting on an exposed branch
or hovering over the water before plunging head first
after the prey. After the catch, the Kingfisher kills
its catch by either whipping it against a tree or
dropping it on a stone. Unlike other fishing birds such
as Eagles and Osprey, Belted Kingfishers have weak feet,
suitable only for perching and the outer and middle toes
on each foot are partially joined.
Belted Kingfishers are monogamous and pair for life. The
pair bond is maintained through display and active
defense of a territory of about 500 yards of waterside
habitat. During courtship, the male conducts aerial
pursuits of the female and following these pursuits, the
pair engages in a courtship feeding during which the
female sits upright with her beak in the air, wings
dropped and quivering and gives a begging call. After
the male presents her with food, the two mate.
Nesting occurs in burrows made on exposed vertical banks
along or near waterways. Both sexes build this burrow
using their heavy beaks to create a tunnel up to 2
inches wide and from 3 to 10 feet deep. The tunnel is
usually gently angled upward, probably for drainage, and
ends in a rounded nest chamber. No nesting materials are
used and sanitation is ignored as the nesting area
becomes littered with food remains and excrement. The
five to seven white eggs are incubated by both sexes and
hatch within 22-26 days. Both parents feed the young
regurgitated prey until they are big enough to eat whole
prey. After the babies fledge (18 to 28 days) the
parents teach them to fish by dropping dead prey into
the water for them to retrieve.
Belted Kingfishers are solitary except during breeding
season and winter as far north as they can find open
water. Migrants move at low altitudes, following rivers
and shorelines until they reach suitable winter habitat.
Returning to their breeding territories as soon as the
ice leaves in the spring, they seem to return to their
favorite tactical positions every year. Some good places
to find Belted Kingfishers locally are:
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• The boat access at Leisure Lane—look in the
brush just across the river or listen for the
call
• The bridge across Ashley Creek just south of
Kalispell on Airport road—check the power line
and the brush near the creek.
• The bridge area on Old Hwy 93 near
Dayton—check the brush on the lakeside and also
the dock area that belongs to the winery
• Highway 93 south of Ronan where Post Creek
crosses the highway—check the power lines and
brush near the creek |
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As you return to your favorite lakes and rivers this
summer, listen for the raucous call of the Belted
Kingfisher and watch the waterside shrubbery and
hopefully you’ll catch a glimpse of this interesting
little bird. Be sure to take your binoculars and a
camera and remember that this is breeding season so be
careful not to disturb any nesting birds or waterfowl.
Birds disturbed during nesting often abandon their nests
and fail to reproduce.
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