Science
Related: About this forumBelted Kingfishers Nest in Burrows Up to 15 Feet Long
Youd never guess that these regal birds use their claws and beak to tunnel through muddy riverbanks.
By BirdNote
April 08, 2019
- click for image -
https://cdn.audubon.org/cdn/farfuture/ctZ60WSjnyi7iXFcdA_LzaIqnj_9HIYbBNXQncfcLzc/mtime:1554742151/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_inline/public/sciencesource_ss2371221.jpg
Belted Kingfisher. Photo: Steve & Dave Maslowski/Science Source
This audio story is brought to you by BirdNote, a partner of The National Audubon Society. BirdNote episodes air daily on public radio stations nationwide.
Transcript:
This is BirdNote!
Theres no other sound along a stream or waterway quite like the reverberating, metallic call of a Belted Kingfisher.
As the showy, crested kingfisher flies overhead, strong staccato wing-beats and white wing-patches flash a Morse-code pattern. The birds power is in its large head and sharp bill. The king of fishers hovers over water, then dives headfirst to catch its prey in its bill. Emerging from the water, the bird flies back to a perch. There it juggles the mealusually a fish, frog, or crawdadinto position and gulps it down.
At this time of year, the best places to see Belted Kingfishers are along sandy banks, where they are busy digging nesting burrows. These stocky, short-legged birds use their front clawswith two forward-pointing toes fused together for added strengthand their strong bills to dig holes. The holes typically reach three to six feet into the sandy bank, but some nesting holes can extend 15 feet.
When not perching, fishing, or building a nesting burrow, the Belted Kingfisher dashes through the air, warning intruders with its rapid-fire call.
More:
https://www.audubon.org/news/belted-kingfishers-nest-burrows-15-feet-long
MuseRider
(34,111 posts)I have a pair of Belted Kingfishers every year on my pond and have for the last 25 years. Just saw one of them yesterday. Interesting information, I always wondered but had never looked it up.
Judi Lynn
(160,545 posts)and certainly different from other birds their size, in their activities, not to mention their unique appearance.
You are lucky to be familiar with some of these little guys!
MuseRider
(34,111 posts)that it is hard to follow them. Hard to watch their behavior. I do love seeing them. They are here year round but I never see them in the winter. I count them as a harbinger of spring even if they were here all winter.
democrank
(11,096 posts)Thank you