KINGFISHERS 



KINGFISHERS. Family ALCEDINID^E 



390. Belted KiNonsHEn. Ceryle alcyon. 



Range. — Whole of North America, breeding 

 from southern United States, nortliward and 

 wintering from the southern parts of its brood- 

 ing range, southward. 



This well known bird is abundant in all lo- 

 calities near water, where its rattling notes are 

 among the most familiar of sounds. Their food 

 is almost entirely of small fish, which they 

 catch by plunging upon from their perch on an 

 old dead limb over- 

 hanging the water, ^^-^ ' r~>-~,^ 

 or by hovering in X"^ ; %i^^\ 

 the air like an Os- /'■ ■'.' . \^ 

 prey. Their nests 

 are located at the 

 end of burrows in 

 sand banks or the 

 banks of creeks and 

 rivers. These tun- 

 nels, which are dug 

 by the birds, gener- 

 ally commence two or three feet from the top 

 of the bank and extend back from six to eight 

 feet, either in a straight line or curved; the end is enlarged to form a suitable 

 nesting place, in which from five to eight eggs are laid. They are glossy and 

 pure white in color. Size 1.35 x 1.05. Data. — l^ake Quinsigamond, Massa- 

 chusetts, June 6, 1900. 7 eggs at the end of a 6 foot tunnel in a sand bank. Bird 

 removed by hand from the nest. Collector, C. E. Howe. 



While 



:C'JY:)as'_^::it^^^s^^~ 



Belterl Kingfisher 



[.SPO.l.] Ringed Kingfisher. Ceryle torqiiata. 



Range. — Mexico, north casually to the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. 



This handsome species is much larger than the Belted Kingfisher and the 

 underparts are nearly all bright chestnut, except the white throat. They nest in 

 river banks the same as the common American species, and the eggs are white, 

 but larger. Size 1.45 x 1.10. 



247 



