Nature Bulletin No. 226-A   April 16, 1966
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Seymour Simon, President
Roland F. Eisenbeis, Supt. of Conservation

****:THE KINGFISHER

Several years ago, the manager of a government fish hatchery at 
Rochester, New York, found that, in spite of his most careful efforts, 
the fish in the ponds -- each pond intended to contain just one kind of 
fish -- were getting mixed. Young bass were raising havoc among the 
bluegills; bullheads were found among the bass; and so on. Then, one 
day, he found out why. A Kingfisher had moved in and was diving 
again and again into the schools of young fish in the clear shallow 
water. The bird would come up with a wriggling fish, fly to a dead 
branch overhanging the water and swallow it. But even when he was 
too full to hold any more he continued fishing. With a live bass in his 
beak, he would perch over the bluegill pond, drop the bass, and dive 
again. He was the culprit who was scrambling the fish.

There are over 200 kinds of kingfishers distributed over the world but 
only two in the United States. All are remarkable for their plumage 
and unique habits. Some kingfishers live in deserts and feed on mice, 
insects and small reptiles. The family is most numerous in the Malay 
Archipelago and New Guinea where there are many vividly colored 
species. The common kingfisher of Europe has blue-green upper parts 
and a rich chestnut breast. The Texas Kingfisher, green above and 
white below, is smaller than the commonest American species, our 
Belted Kingfisher -- a top-heavy looking, blue-gray bird somewhat 
larger than a robin. It looks top-heavy because it has a long stout bill, a 
big head topped by a crest of tousled feathers, a bobtail, and short 
weak legs. The white breast is crossed by a blue band. In addition, the 
female has a reddish-brown band below the blue one, and brown 
flanks.

Their peculiar call is a loud wild harsh rattle something like the sound 
of a wooden Halloween "tick tack". Except during the nesting season, 
kingfishers are solitary, each jealously defending its chosen fishing 
ground -- usually about a half mile of stream or lake shore. This they 
patrol from one favorite lookout perch on a dead limb, to another, for 
small fish. From a perch, or in full flight, they will plunge like an 
arrow, with half-folded wings, to pursue and seize their prey beneath 
the surface of the water. The eyes are specially adapted for underwater 
vision because, although kingfishers have eyesight in the air like 
ordinary birds, the lenses are egg-shaped to focus both eyes on the 
fleeing fish when submerged. As in hawks and owls, the stomach 
digests flesh; after which the indigestible scales and bones are 
disgorged.

From 5 to 14 glossy white eggs are laid in unlined nests at the end of 
burrows dug in steep banks along streams. These burrows vary from 3 
to 15 feet in depth and are usually dug by the male, using his heavy 
bill and his feet. The eggs hatch into completely naked young. Later, 
these homely youngsters develop large coarse pinfeathers which, just 
before they leave the nest, open in a matter of hours into fluffy-fully-
formed plumage. Unlike most birds, the young are as brightly colored 
as the parents.

The belted kingfisher nests throughout northern United States, 
southern Canada, Alaska and Labrador. It winters mostly in our 
southern states, although some linger wherever they can find an 
unfrozen stream to fish in. Their diet is almost entirely fish, but 
occasionally they eat crawfish and insects; more rarely, mice and wild 
fruit. In natural waters they and other predators benefit fishermen by 
reducing the enormous numbers of young spawned by most fish -- 
young which otherwise, would deplete their food supply and become 
stunted.

The kingfisher is one of our best fish managers.