Bird #62: Belted Kingfisher

Common Name: Belted Kingfisher

Scientific Name: Megaceryle alcyon           

Description: 11-14 inches; bushy crest; large dagger shape bill; white spot in front of eyes; upperparts bluish grey with white spots; underparts white with bluish grey breastband; black and white bars on wing and tail. Female: additional rust colored bellyband below blue breastband.

Habitat: Body of water containing fish such as Graeme Hall, Chancery Lane Swamps, Codrington Colledge Pond, Long Pondetc  

Statue: migrant; winter resident; locally refer to as the Duck Pilot because “their arrival usually precedes the arrival of the Blue-winged Teal Duck on their southward migration”…. Dr John Webster host of Breakfast with the Birds   

References:

·         Birds of Barbados by P.A Buckley, Edward Massiah, Maurice B. Hutt, Francine G. Buckley

·         Helm Field Guides- Birds of the West Indies  by H. Raffaele, J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, J. Raffaele

·         National Geographic- Field Guide to the Birds of North America edited by Dunn and Alderfer

Websites:

·         Wikipedia

·         Three Rivers Avian Center

Photograph on February 13, 2013 at a shooting Swamp in  north of the island

Photograph on February 13, 2013 at a shooting Swamp in  north of the island

Photograph on February 25 at  Codrington College (Female)

Photograph on March 13, 2013 at Graeme Hall Swamp (Female)