Belted Kingfisher 221 
Family ALCEDINIDZ. 
Genus CERYLE. 
Bill longer than the head, straight, stout and acute; head with an 
occipital crest ; wings long and pointed, almost double the length of the 
even, twelve-feathered tail; legs short and weak, tarsus very short ; 
toes arranged with three in front and one behind and syndactylous— 
that is, with the third and fourth bound up in a common sheath for about 
half their length. 
This is a large and almost cosmopolitan genus of Kingfishers, but with 
only one species widely distributed in the United States. 
Belted Kingfisher. Ceryle alcyon. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 390—Colorado Records—Allen 72, pp. 151, 
179; Aiken 72, p. 206; Henshaw 75, p. 366; Scott 79, p. 95; Allen 
& Brewster 83, p. 196; Drew 85, p. 17 ; Morrison 86, p. 153; 88, p. 115; 
89, p. 67; Kellogg 90, p. 87; Cooke 97, pp. 82, 207; Henderson 03, 
p. 235; 09, p. 231; Dille 03, p. 74; Markman 07, p. 156; 
Gilman 07, p. 154; Warren 08, p. 21; 09, p. 14; Rockwell 08, 
p. 164. 
Description.—Male—Above and a pectoral band across the chest 
slaty-blue with black shaft-lines; head crested, a white collar round 
the nape ; primaries dusky, with white at the base of the inner webs; 
a few white spots on the wing-coverts ; tail spotted with white, and 
black on the inner web ; below, including a spot in front of and below 
the eye white, except for the pectoral band; iris dark brown, bill 
black, legs dusky. Length 11-5; wing 6-25; tail 3-4; culmen 2-15; 
tarsus -45. 
The female has the sides and flanks and a band across the middle 
chestnut. 
Distribution.—Breeding from Alaska and Labrador to the southern 
border of the United States ; a resident from New England, Colorado 
and Washington, southwards ; in winter, south as far as the West Indies 
and Panama. 
The Kingfisher is fairly abundant throughout Colorado wherever 
suitable conditions prevail. It ranges from the plains to about 9,500 
feet in summer, while a few birds undoubtedly winter at lower eleva- 
tions, and where there is open water during this season. The following 
are recorded localities : Big Thompson in Estes Park, common (Kellogg) ; 
Boulder co., wintering in the valley, breeding in the hills (Gale & 
Henderson); Breckenridge, breeding (Carter), El Paso co., rather 
rare (Aiken), Salida, arriving April 16th (Frey), Fort Garland, August 
(Henshaw), Sulphur Springs and Routt co. (Warren), Grand Junction, 
