This shoreline bird is a common sight along rivers and ponds. They perch above the water, sometimes even hovering in the air, looking for their next aquatic meal. 🐟
Only about the size of a Robin, the Kingfishers are distinct with their crests and thick bills. This stocky little bird calls with a sharp mechanical sounding rattle, adding an essential voice to the symphony of the swamps.
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Many bird species are sexually dimorphic (males and females look different) with the males generally displaying brighter plumage. In the Belted Kingfishers case though it is the females that sport the distinctive rusty red belt. It is not known why this is, but the males only have the gray-blue chest collar with a bright white belly.
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One of my favorite birds along Michigan rivers, it was neat to see these guys all the way down in Florida on a recent trip of ours. Their range extends across the entire US, only requiring a bit of open water to live in an area year round. Most populations are year round residents, though there are some that will migrate north to breeding grounds in Canada and fly south as far as Venezuela in the winter.