BIOLOGICAL AND ECOTOXICOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATE
SPECIES RESIDING IN ESTUARIES
| Belted Kingfisher |  
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Biological Characteristics
Species |
Ceryle alcyon is 28-35 cm in length. Mass ranges between 140 and 170 g. Both sexes have stocky body and large head with conspicuous ragged double-pointed crest. Both sexes are blue-gray dorsally with white underparts and a blue-gray pectoral band. However, females possess rufous-colored sides and a rufous-colored band across the lower breast. Both sexes have a conspicuous white spot above the lores between the eye and base of the upper mandible. (Hamas 1994) |
Status in Estuaries |
Inhabits streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and estuaries or calm marine waters in which prey are clearly visible. Solitary except during breeding season. Both male and female aggressively defend breeding territory. Nests are subterranean burrows located in earthen banks with no vegetation, usually near water. Both sexes participate in excavating the nest. The tunnel leading to the nest chamber averages 1-2 m and the nest chamber is somewhat spherical ranging from 20-30 cm in diameter and 15.2-17.8 cm high. A single clutch contains 5-8 smooth, glossy-white eggs. Both sexes incubate over 22-24 days.(Hamas 1994). |
Abundance and Range |
Breeds in suitable habitats across North America. Absent above 9000 ft in the Rocky Mountains and sparsely populate deserts and the central grasslands. Winters in the Aleutian islands and along the coast of British Columbia. Also, common winter resident in Texas and Mexico. There are no clear patterns of population change, but Breeding Bird Surveys (1982-1992) suggest that continental populations are declining 1.1%/yr. (Hamas 1994). |
Site Fidelity |
Burrows may be reused. Adults may return to breed where previous nesting was successful but site fidelity is weak (Hamas 1994). |
Ease of Census |
Difficult. Underground nest chambers make observing and monitoring pairs during the breeding season difficult (Baron et al. 1997) |
Feeding Habits |
Typically prey on fishes that inhabit shallow water or swim near the surface. Require clear water and unobstructed view of prey for foraging. Prey is detected from overhead from an unobstructed perch or by hovering over the water’s surface. With eyes closed, a bird dives and grabs prey in its bill. Because prey is near the water’s surface, the bird usually does not totally submerge. Fish are generally < 10.2 cm in size. After capturing a fish, the bird flies to a perch where it pounds the fish against the perch to stun it and turn it so the fish can be swallowed head first (Hamas 1994). |
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I. |
Organochlorine Contaminants |
1. |
Five belted kingfishers (3 adult females, 2 immature males) were collected with a shotgun in August 1979 near Kohler, WI along the Sheboygan River between the Kohler Dam and a point 3.5 km downstream (Heinz et al. 1984). Carcasses were analyzed for organochlorine residues. The three adult female carcasses contained 65, 184, and 218 mg/g, wet weight of PCBs; 2.4, 4.0, and 4.0 mg/g, wet weight of p,p’-DDE, respectively. One adult female carcass contained 0.22 mg/g, wet weight of dieldrin. The two immature male carcasses contained 192 and 189 mg/g PCBs; 8.3 and 8.8 mg/g p,p’-DDE; and 1.5 and 0.64 mg/g dieldrin, respectively. |
2. |
Report comparing relative concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dioxin , 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran , and PCB congeners in several environmental matrices from the Great Lakes (Smith et al. 1990). One belted kingfisher carcass was analyzed. It was collected in 1979 along the Sheboygan River in Wisconsin. Concentration of 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dioxin was < 2 pg/g. Concentration of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran was 53 pg/g. Concentrations of PCB 77 , PCB 126 , and PCB 169 were 0.3 ng/g, 0.48 ng/g, and 1.71 ng/g, respectively. S-PCB for the carcass was 43 mg/g. |
II. |
Cholinesterase-Inhibiting Pesticides |
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No direct exposure data available |
III. |
Trace Elements, Metals, and Metalloids |
1. |
Between 1974 and 1976 one belted kingfisher was collected from salt marshes near Brunswick, GA that had been contaminated with Hg by a chlor-alkali chemical plant (Gardner et al. 1978). Muscle and liver tissue were analyzed for total Hg and MeHg. In muscle tissue, total Hg was 2.4 mg/g dry weight, 100% of which was MeHg. In liver tissue, total Hg 5.9 mg/g dry weight, 91% of which was MeHg. |
2. |
Twenty-seven belted kingfisher burrows were located and monitored during April-July 1994 on the Clinch River and streams on the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) in east Tennessee. (Baron et al. 1997). Egg shells and feather samples were collected from active burrows. Egg shells and feathers were analyzed for trace metals (As , Cd , Pb , Se , and Hg ). Two egg shell samples had concentrations of the following trace metals: As , 0.135 mg/g and 0.0536 mg/g; Cd, <0.0333 mg/g and 0.0583 mg/g; Se , 1.58 mg/g and 1.41 mg/g; Pb, 2.0 mg/g and 5.31 mg/g; and Hg, <0.20 mg/g and 0.182 mg/g. Four feather samples had concentrations of the following trace metals: As , 0.074 mg/g, 0.0449 mg/g, 0.052 mg/g, and 0.0755 mg/g; Cd , 0.0132 mg/g, <0.0102 mg/g, <0.010 mg/g, and 0.0755 mg/g; Se , 5.72 mg/g, 6.54 mg/g, 5.72 mg/g, and 6.83 mg/g; Pb , 0.657 mg/g, 1.42 mg/g, 1.67 mg/g, and 1.91 mg/g; and Hg , 1.03 mg/g, 1.01 mg/g, 1.04 mg/g, and 0.726 mg/g. Three belted kingfisher carcasses were found, necropsied, and samples also submitted for trace metal analysis. Carcass one contained the following trace metals: 4.04 mg/g Cd in kidney tissue and 0.95 mg/g Cd in liver tissue; 2.67 mg/g Pb in feathers; 5.38 mg/g Se in feathers, 5.81 mg/g Se in kidney tissue, 2.71 mg/g Se in liver tissue, and 1.25 mg/g Se in heart tissue; 13.9 mg/g Hg in feathers, 8.65 mg/g Hg in kidney tissue, 3.69 mg/g Hg in liver tissue, 1.1 mg/g Hg in heart tissue, and 0.572 mg/g Hg in muscle tissue. Carcass two contained the following trace metals: 7.21 mg/g Cd in feathers, 0.40 mg/g Cd in kidney tissue, and 0.23 mg/g Cd in liver tissue; 1.86 mg/g Pb in feathers; 5.63 mg/g Se in feathers, 3.14 mg/g Se in kidney tissue, 3.45 mg/g Se in liver tissue, 2.01 mg/g Se in heart tissue, and 1.04 mg/g Se in muscle tissue; 4.55 mg/g Hg in feathers, 1.46 mg/g Hg in kidney tissue, 0.955 mg/g Hg in liver tissue, 0.594 mg/g Hg in heart tissue, and 0.805 mg/g Hg in muscle tissue. Carcass three contained the following trace metals: 0.34 mg/g Cd in feathers, 1.53 mg/g Cd in kidney tissue, and 0.90 mg/g Cd in liver tissue; 4.88 mg/g Pb in feathers, 0.42 mg/g Pb in kidney tissue, 0.40 mg/g Pb in liver tissue, and 0.58 mg/g Pb in muscle tissue; 7.29 mg/g Se in feathers, 6.01 mg/g Se in kidney tissue, 7.5 mg/g Se in liver tissue, 2.2 mg/g Se in heart tissue, and 1.84 mg/g Se in muscle tissue; 2.72 mg/g Hg in feathers, 26.8 mg/g Hg in kidney tissue, 17.6 mg/g Hg in liver tissue, 9.52 mg/g Hg in heart tissue, and 6.34 mg/g Hg in muscle tissue. Hg concentrations in feathers are much higher than concentrations in fish (0.04 + 0.01 mg/g Hg)downstream of nesting site, indicating biomagnification is occurring in kingfishers foraging upstream of the ORR. Shell and feather samples and carcasses were analyzed for radioisotopes Co-60 and Cs-137. One egg shell sample, collected from White Oak Creek had a level of Cs-137 of 58.1 + 1.7 pCi g -1. The remaining shell sample and all of the feather samples had values below minimum detection limit of Co-60 and Cs-137. Carcass two contained 3 pCi g -1 Cs-137 in muscle tissue. Carcass three had elevated levels of Cs-137: Whole body concentration, 126.96 pCi g -1; kidney tissue, 69 pCi g -1; liver tissue, 76 pCi g -1; heart tissue, 81 pCi g -1; muscle tissue, 151 pCi g -1. |
IV. |
Petroleum |
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No residue data available |
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Belted Kingfisher Contaminant Response Data |
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I. |
Organochlorine Contaminants |
1. |
Eggshells of belted kingfishers in the collections of the National Museum of Natural Sciences and the Royal Ontario Museum were examined to compare eggshell thickness and quality of eggs prior to and during wide use of DDT (Fox 1974). Eggs were collected in Ontario, Canada. Eggshells (n = 16) from the pre-DDT period were collected between 1909 and 1941 and eggshells (n = 9) from the period of DDT use were collected in 1951 and 1962. Eggshell quality was estimated by the beta-backscatter technique and eggshell thickness was evaluated using the Ratcliffe index. Eggshells from the period of DDT use had a 6.8% decrease in quality and an 8.3% decrease in Ratcliffe index values from the pre-DDT period. The mean Ratcliffe index value for the pre-DDT eggshells was 0.795 + 0.024 and the mean Ratcliffe index value for DDT eggshells was 0.729 + 0.060. |
II. |
Cholinesterase-Inhibiting Pesticides |
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No response data available |
III. |
Trace Elements, Metals, and Metalloids |
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No response data available |
IV. |
Petroleum |
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No response data available |
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Baron, L. A., T. L. Ashwood, B. E. Sample, and C. Welsh. 1997. Monitoring bioaccumulation of contaminants in the Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon). Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 47:153-165. |
Fox, G. A. 1974. Changes in eggshell quality of belted kingfishers nesting in Ontario. The Canadian Field-Naturalist 88:358-359. |
Gardner, W. S., D. R. Kendall, R. R. Odom, H. L. Windom, and J. A. Stephens. 1978. The distribution of methyl mercury in a contaminated salt marsh ecosystem. Environmental Pollution 15:243-251. |
Hamas, M. J. 1994. Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon). In The Birds of North America, No. 84 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ Union. |
Heinz, G. H., D. M. Swineford, and D. E. Katsma. 1984. High PCB residues in birds from the Sheboygan River, Wisconsin. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 4:155-161. |
Smith, L. M., T. R. Schwartz, K. Feltz, and T. J. Jubiak. 1990. Determination and occurrence of AHH-active polychlorinated biphenyls, 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dioxin and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran in Lake Michigan sediment and biota. The question of their relative toxicological significance. Chemosphere 21:1063-1085. |