Kingfishers are a diverse family of birds found on every continent except Antarctica. There are over 90 different species of kingfishers that inhabit a wide range of habitats from forests to coastlines. Some kingfisher species are widespread and can be found across multiple continents, while others have tiny geographic ranges limited to a single river basin or island.
So are there kingfishers living in the United States? The short answer is yes, the United States is home to several kingfisher species. However, the diversity and distribution of kingfishers in the US is much more limited compared to tropical regions like South America or Africa that host dozens of different kingfisher species. Only two kingfisher species live and breed in the United States, the belted kingfisher and the green kingfisher. Read on to learn more about these kingfisher species found in the US.
The Belted Kingfisher
The belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) is the most widespread and commonly seen kingfisher in North America. It is a medium-sized kingfisher that reaches lengths of 11-14 inches and weighs 5-6 ounces. True to its name, the belted kingfisher sports a distinctive blue-gray plumage with a blue head and white collar and underbelly. Female belted kingfishers exhibit a rusty band across their breast, while males show a single blue band.
Belted kingfishers are found year-round throughout much of the United States near bodies of water. They range as far north as Alaska and Canada and as far south as Panama. Belted kingfishers reside along coastlines, lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, and other waterways. They use overhanging branches, rocks, posts and other lookout perches to hunt for small fish and aquatic prey like crustaceans, frogs, salamanders, and insects.
Belted kingfishers make a loud, rattling call that tapers off at the end. They are solitary birds and are almost always observed alone rather than in pairs or groups. Belted kingfishers dig nesting tunnels up to 8 feet deep intovertical earthen banks adjacent to water. Both the male and female belted kingfisher take turns excavating the nest over the course of three to six weeks.
Belted Kingfisher Range
The belted kingfisher has a very broad range spanning the United States and Canada:
- Year-round populations from the Pacific coast to the Rocky Mountains and south to Central America
- Summer breeding populations across Canada, Alaska and the northern half of the U.S.
- Winter only populations in the southern half of the U.S. south to Panama
So while belted kingfishers reside in much of the U.S. year-round, some northern belted kingfishers migrate south for the winter while other kingfishers migrate north for the summer breeding season.
Belted Kingfisher Habitat
The belted kingfisher inhabits a variety of aquatic habitats:
- Lakes
- Rivers
- Streams
- Ponds
- Estuaries
- Coastlines
They are found mainly in areas with clear, fresh water that enables them to spot prey from lookout perches along the shoreline. Belted kingfishers may occasionally live along brackish or tidal waters as well. They are less common along fast-moving mountain rivers with heavy vegetation and little shoreline.
Belted Kingfisher Diet
The belted kingfisher eats mainly fish that it captures by diving headfirst into the water. Their diet consists of:
- Small fish – minnows, sticklebacks, and juvenile trout
- Invertebrates – crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, newts
Belted kingfishers swallow most prey whole while in flight. They regurgitate indigestible parts like fish bones and scales in the form of pellets.
Belted Kingfisher Nesting
Belted kingfishers don’t actually build nests. Instead, they dig long tunnels into earthen banks near water to use as nest sites.
- Tunnel nests range 5-8 feet deep
- Diameter of 6-8 inches
- Located in bank 2-15 feet above water
- Both sexes dig the tunnel using beaks and feet
- Lay and incubate 5-8 eggs
- Fledglings emerge after 4-5 weeks
The female stays with the hatchlings in the tunnel while the male brings food. The young leave the nest at about four weeks old.
The Green Kingfisher
The green kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) is the smallest kingfisher in North America. It is much less common than the belted kingfisher within the United States, with a range limited to south Texas and Arizona.
The green kingfisher reaches lengths of 6.5-7 inches and weighs 1.5-2 ounces. True to its name, its plumage is bright green on the back and head, with a greenish-blue tail and wings. Its underparts are white, and it has a thin white collar. The female’s collar is more distinct, while the male’s collar is faint.
The green kingfisher inhabits slow-moving streams, ponds, marshes and mangrove swamps within tropical and subtropical forests along the Mexico border. It mainly eats small fish, aquatic insects, tadpoles and frogs.
Green kingfishers nest in earthen tunnels much like belted kingfishers. However, green kingfishers dig more horizontal nesting tunnels in creek banks, with an entrance 4-10 inches wide. Both parents share brooding and feeding responsibilities. Green kingfishers are rarely found more than 30 miles from Mexico border.
Green Kingfisher Range
The green kingfisher has a very small U.S. range limited to border regions of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas:
- Southern Texas in lower Rio Grande Valley
- Extreme southwestern New Mexico along the Rio Grande
- Southeastern Arizona in the Santa Cruz River Valley
Their breeding range mirrors their year-round range. Green kingfishers sometimes wander outside their regular range in winter but rarely farther than southern Arizona.
Green Kingfisher Habitat
The habitat of the green kingfisher includes:
- Streams
- Creeks
- Marshes
- Pools
- Mangroves
Green kingfishers frequent forested areas and wooded swamps along slow-moving or still bodies of water. They are associated more with thick vegetation as compared to the open waters belted kingfishers prefer.
Green Kingfisher Diet
The diet of green kingfishers consists of:
- Small fish
- Insects
- Tadpoles
- Frogs
- Crustaceans
They capture prey by darting from a perch or hovering in air before diving. Prey is often swallowed whole while in flight.
Green Kingfisher Nesting
Green kingfishers nest in earthen tunnels dug into the sides of creek banks and slopes, similar to belted kingfishers. However, their tunnels differ in the following ways:
- More horizontal than belted kingfisher tunnels
- 4-10 inch wide entrance
- Up to 15 feet deep
- Lined with fish bones and scales
The female performs most of the excavation over 2-4 weeks. She lays and incubates 3-5 eggs while the male provides food. After hatching both parents feed the young fish and frogs.
Comparison of Belted and Green Kingfishers
Feature | Belted Kingfisher | Green Kingfisher |
---|---|---|
Size | 11-14 inches long | 6.5-7 inches long |
Weight | 5-6 ounces | 1.5-2 ounces |
Plumage | Blue-gray back, white collar and underparts | Green back, blue wings, white collar and underparts |
Range | Across most of continental U.S. and Canada | South Texas, southern Arizona and New Mexico |
Habitat | Clear, open water – lakes, rivers, coasts | Vegetated, forested wetlands |
Diet | Fish, aquatic invertebrates | Fish, insects, tadpoles, frogs |
Nesting | Tunnels dug into vertical banks | Tunnels dug into creek slopes |
In summary, the belted kingfisher is larger and more widely distributed while the green kingfisher is smaller with a very limited U.S. range confined to the southwestern border regions. Their habitats differ with belted kingfishers using more open waters while green kingfishers use vegetated wetlands. But they share similar diets of small aquatic animals and nest in earthen tunnels.
Other Kingfishers in the Americas
While the belted and green kingfishers are the only kingfisher species that live in the continental United States, other kingfisher species are found elsewhere in the Americas:
- Ringed kingfisher – ranges from Mexico south to Argentina
- Amazon kingfisher – central South America
- Green-and-rufous kingfisher – Mexico to Panama
- American pygmy kingfisher – Mexico south to Bolivia and Brazil
- Green kingfisher – West Indies islands
So the mainland United States represents just a tiny portion of theAmericas that is home to kingfishers. The majority of kingfisher species diversity is centered in the tropics of Central and South America. Even temporarily, most kingfishers rarely wander beyond Mexico and the Caribbean into the U.S.
Kingfishers in the Old World
While this article has focused on kingfishers of the Americas, kingfishers originated in the Old World. Most kingfisher species and overall diversity is found across Africa, tropical Asia and Australia. A sampling of widespread Old World kingfishers includes:
- Common kingfisher – Europe, Asia, Africa
- Blue-eared kingfisher – New Guinea and Australia
- Collared kingfisher – Southeast Asia and islands
- Pied kingfisher – Sub-Saharan Africa
- White-throated kingfisher – India and Southeast Asia
So in summary, nearly 90 kingfisher species live in a wide range of habitats across the world. The belted kingfisher resides across much of NorthAmerica while the green kingfisher has a tiny U.S. range. But the global center of kingfisher diversity remains in the tropics of Africa, Asia and Australia where these birds originated and radiated. The kingfishers found in the United States represent just a fraction of these colorful, fascinating birds.
Conclusion
To summarize, there are two kingfisher species that live and breed in the continental United States, the belted kingfisher and the green kingfisher. The belted kingfisher is medium-sized with a blue-gray and white plumage pattern. It is found year-round across much of the U.S. and Canada near open waters like lakes, rivers and coastlines. The tiny green kingfisher is bright green and white and lives only in border regions of south Texas and southern Arizona and New Mexico. It sticks to vegetated wetlands near Mexico.
While New World kingfishers have colonized North America, kingfishers originated in the Old World tropics. The 90+ kingfisher species display an amazing diversity of size, plumage, habitat and behavior across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. So the two species in the mainland U.S. represent a small sample of these varied, fascinating birds. The belted and green kingfishers are unique as the only North American kingfishers but remain just one branch of kingfishers worldwide.