Ringed kingfisher
Ringed kingfisher | |
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File:MARTIM-PESCADOR-GRANDE (Megaceryle torquata).jpg | |
Male | |
File:Ringed Kingfisher, Rio Sararé, Mato Grosso, Brazil.jpg | |
Female | |
Scientific classification | |
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Species: |
M. torquata
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Binomial name | |
Megaceryle torquata (Linnaeus, 1766)
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File:Banded Kingfisher.png | |
The distribution of the ringed kingfisher | |
Synonyms[2] | |
Ceryle torquata |
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The ringed kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata) is a large, conspicuous and noisy kingfisher commonly found along the lower Rio Grande valley in southeasternmost Texas in the United States through Central America to Tierra del Fuego in South America.
The breeding habitat is areas near large bodies of water, usually in heavily wooded areas where it finds a perch to hunt from. It is mostly a sedentary species, remaining in territories all year long.
It is 40 to 41 cm (16–16 in) long, with deep blue or bluish-gray plumage with white markings, a shaggy crest and a broad white collar around the neck. Its most distinguishing characteristic is the entirely rufous belly, which also covers the entire breast of the male. Females are more colorful than the male and have a bluish-gray breast and a narrow white stripe separating the breast from the belly.
These birds nest in a horizontal tunnel made in a river bank or sand bank. The female lays 3 to 6 eggs. Both parents excavate the tunnel, incubate the eggs and feed the young.
It is often seen perched prominently on trees, posts, or other suitable "watchpoints" close to water before plunging in head first after its fish prey. They also eat insects and small amphibians.
Their voice is a loud, penetrating rattle given on the wing and when perched.
The Megaceryle kingfishers were formerly placed in the genus Ceryle with the pied kingfisher, but the latter is genetically closer to the American green kingfishers.[citation needed]
Gallery
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Megaceryle torquata-Ringed Kingfisher.jpg
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Ringed kingfisher near Hornopirén, Chile
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Megaceryle torquata on Avibase
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Megaceryle torquata. |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Megaceryle torquata |
- Ringed kingfisher stamps for Antigua, Dominica, Nevis, Nicaragua, Suriname at bird-stamps.org
- Ringed kingfisher videos, photos, and sounds at the Internet Bird Collection
- Ringed kingfisher photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- Ringed Kingfisher species account at NeotropicalBirds (Cornell University)
- Pages with broken file links
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Articles with unsourced statements from November 2010
- Commons category link is locally defined
- Megaceryle
- Birds of Mexico
- Birds of the U.S. Rio Grande Valleys
- Birds of Central America
- Birds of Nicaragua
- Birds of South America
- Birds of the Guianas
- Birds of the Amazon Basin
- Birds of Tierra del Fuego
- Birds of Antigua and Barbuda
- Birds of Dominica
- Birds of Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Fauna of the U.S. Rio Grande Valleys
- Animals described in 1766