The Belted Kingfisher (Ceryie aicyon) 



By Charles Bendire 



Length, about 13 inches. Not to be confused with any other American bird. 



Range : Breeds from northwestern Alaska and central Canada south to the 

 southern border of the United States, winters from British Columbia, Nebraska, 

 Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Virginia south to the West Indies, Colombia and 

 Guiana. 



The cry of the kingfisher, which suggests a watchman's rattle in vigorous 

 hands, can be mistaken for the note of no other bird ; nor, for that matter, is the 

 bird himself likely to be confused with any other species. Whether flying, perched 

 on a branch over a stream, or diving for small fish, our kingfisher is always him- 

 self, borrowing none of his peculiarities from his neighbors. Many of his tropical 

 brothers catch insects for a living ; but our bird, early in the history of the develop- 

 ment of the kingfisher family, discovered that fish were easier to catch and in the 

 long run more filling than insects, and hence renounced the family habit and 

 assumed the role of fisherman. Instead of using a hollow tree as a nest site, the 

 kingfisher has apparently learned a lesson from the sandswallows and excavates 

 a burrow for himself in some sandbank, usually not far from pond or stream; 

 and you may be sure that any pond chosen by him for a haunt is well stocked with 

 fish. The fish he kills are chiefly minnows and of small value, but the bird some- 

 times makes a nuisance of himself about fish hatcheries, where his skill in 

 catching young food fish often brings him speedy doom. 



The Belted Kingfisher, ordinarly simply called the Kingfisher, is one of our 

 best-known birds, and it is generally distributed in suitable localities throughout 

 the North American continent, though seldom very common anywhere. In gen- 

 eral appearance it is a striking though rather top-heavy looking bird. Its satin 

 plumage feels dense and smooth to the touch, as if it were oiled, while its soft, 

 weak feet look out of all proportion to its rather large head and body. They 

 seem almost inadequate to support its weight, and certainly do not appear to be 

 much adapted to walking, an exercise in which I have never seen one indulge. 



As a rule each pair of birds seems to claim a certain range on some suitable 

 stream, lake, or millpond, and should others intrude on this they are quickly 

 driven off. Clear streams or ponds, bordered with perpendicular banks and low 

 brush-covered shores, are their favorite resorts, and along such places one will 

 not have to go far before hearing the characteristic rattle of the Kingfisher, or 

 perhaps seeing one perched on a partly submerged snag or rock, on a pile of 

 driftwood near the shore, or on some small branch directly overhanging the water. 



Every bird seems to have several favorite perches along its range, each per- 

 haps quite a distance away from the next, to which it flies from time to time, 

 generally uttering its well-known shrill rattle in doing so. It is a sedentary bird, 

 but ever watchful and rather shy, sitting frequently for an hour at a time in the 



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