158 BIRDS OF ALABAMA 



hope, October 16, 1908, and Miss Parkhurst reports the species 

 from Talladega. 



General habits. — This cuckoo is very similar in habits to 

 the yellow-billed species, from which it may be distinguished 

 by the black bill and the much smaller white spots on the tail 

 feathers. 



KINGFISHERS: Family Alcedinidae. 



BELTED KINGFISHER: Streptoceryle alcyon alcyon 



(Linnaeus) .* 



State records. — The kingfisher is generally distributed over 

 the State in summer, but is nowhere very common. In winter 

 most of the birds move southward and few are found in the 

 northern counties. It is recorded by McCormack as remain- 

 ing at Leighton until the third week in November and pos- 

 sibly all winter on the Tennessee River. I noted it at Reform 

 in September, at Castleberry in October, on Mobile River near 

 Chastang in December, at Orange Beach in December and 

 January, and at Bayou Labatre and on Petit Bois Island in 

 February. It has been observed in the breeding season at 

 Florence, E'lkmont, Stevenson, Sand Mountain (near Carpen- 

 ter), Greensboro, Tuscaloosa, Ardell, Barachias, Tensaw 

 River near Stockton, and Bayou Labatre. 



Spring migration begins about March 15, first arriv?ils hav- 

 ing been noted on that date at Woodbine (Saunders), and at 

 Leighton (McCormack) . A nest containing 2 eggs was found 

 in the banks of a small "wash" by Holt at Myrtlewood, April 

 18, 1912. Another nest with 2 eggs was found by Golsan at 

 Autaugaville, April 16, 1910. The usual complement of eggs 

 varies from 4 to 8. 



General habits. — Kingfishers frequent the shores of rivers, 

 ponds, and bays; their food is secured almost entirely from 

 the water, but as their home is always in a burrow in a cut 

 bank, they must in some cases fly a considerable distance from 

 their feeding grounds to find a suitable nesting spot. The 

 tunnel is constructed by the birds by scratching with their 



•Ceryle alcyon of the A. 0. U. Check-list ; for change of name see The Auk, vol. 34, 

 p. 202, 1917. 



