FAMILY Alcedinidse. 



Family Alcedinidce. 



Belted This is the "Lone Fisherman" of the 



Kingfisher birds, an altogether interesting though song- 



Ceryle alcyon 



L. 12.75 * ess character. Alert and energetic the 



April ist 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 this is 

 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. 



,J? toneless rattle or cackle. 



mm 



. 



m j ~ cresc. 



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 

 if that is done with scrupulous care and a motionless 

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