CLASS AYES 



611 



fishers (ALCEDINID^E), three of which occur in North America. 

 The belted kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon (Fig. 500), breeds from 

 Florida to Labrador. Its five to eight white eggs are laid at the 

 end of a horizontal hole about six feet deep dug by the birds 

 usually in the bank of a stream. The kingfisher captures small 



FIG. 500. Belted kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon. (From Davenport, 



after Fuertes.) 



fish by hovering over a stream and then plunging into the water 

 and securing the unsuspecting prey in its bill. 



The owls (STRIGID^:) are the nocturnal birds of prey. They 

 possess large, rounded heads, strong legs, feet armed with sharp 

 claws, strong bills with the upper mandible curved downward, 

 large eyes directed forward and surrounded by a radiating disc 

 of feathers, and soft, fluffy plumage which renders them noiseless 



