FAMILY Alcedinide. 
Family Alcedinide. 
Belted This is the “‘Lone Fisherman” of the 
Kingfisher birds, an altogether interesting though song- 
coe less character. Alert and energetic the 
April 1st Kingfisher takes a commanding position 
over the pool and nothing that happens on its surface 
escapes his eye, quick as a flash he darts down at the water 
and in another moment he is hammering the life out of 
some small fish on the rock near his perch, then the crushed 
fish, perhaps three or four inches long, is swallowed whole— 
head first! The bird utters an unmusical, rattling chuckle 
after he secures his prey. 
The Belted Kingfisher breeds from the far northwestern 
limit of trees and Labrador south to the Gulf coast; it 
winters from Massachusetts, Illinois, and British Columbia 
southward to northern South America. Artistically con- 
sidered his costume in both color and pattern is without 
reproach; head feathers strongly crested, black bill about 
two inches long, rather straight, powerful, and sharp, tail 
short and stumpy, wings long and pointed, general coloring 
blue-gray with a clearly defined white collar not quite 
meeting at the back, the wings and tail flecked with white, 
a white spot in front of the eye, gray on the chest below 
the collar, lower breast duller white, in the female thisis 
banded with brick red which extends backward and down- 
ward at either side. Nest formed of bones and fish scales 
ejected from the bird’s stomach, with other miscellaneous 
material at the bottom of a remarkably long burrow four 
to six feet deep in the bank. Egg, white, 1.34 inches long. 
The Kingfisher makes a noise like a small watchman’s 
rattle when disturbed: 
Presto. 
# toneless rattle or cackle. 
(ieee a ee eee 
nf ——— crese. 
at times this is accentuated with a shrill crescendo and it 
often happens when the bird alights upon some conspicu- 
ous, high perch. One may drift fairly near him in a canoe 
ff that is done with scrupulous care and a motionless 
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