feature in the landscape whether in action or at rest. The mountain
trout stream would lose much of its charm without the rattling call
of the lone fisherman and the flash of his broad, blue wings, as he
follows the course of the stream, flying well below the treetops
until he glides upward to alight on his accustomed perch, there to
tilt his short tail nervously up and down and raise and lower his
long crest a few times, as he sounds his battle cry again. At the
seashore, too, his trim, unique figure and his conspicuous color
pattern, as he perches day after day on his favorite stake or goes
rattling along the shore, add color and a tinge of wildness to the
scene.
The flight of the kingfisher is strong, swift, and graceful,
usually low, but high above the treetops when traveling; often
there are five or six rapid strokes followed by a long glide on
half-closed wings. Mr. Carey (1909) writes of it:
The Kingfisher’s flight is remarkable for its beauty. How
easily those long wings carry him about, as he skims so
close over the water that their tips are sometimes wetted,
or, as he hovers, his body appearing absolutely motionless,
in that wonderful way which few birds can equal, for
indefinite periods of time. Sometimes, especially in water
half a foot or less in depth, he dives while flying nearly
parallel to its surface. Sometimes, in his journeys from
perch to perch when fish are plentiful, he dips again and
again into the water in this way, reminding one of the
Swallow as he gracefully touches the water here and there
in his flight over the mill-pond. Again, he drops like a
falling stone in a nearly perpendicular line upon his fishy
prey.
Again he writes, referring to times of keen competition over good
fishing grounds:
On such occasions one bird is often angrily pursued by
another. These pursuits are most reckless and enduring in
character. One sees the two birds swirl by like two blue
flashes of light, to disappear in an instant of time on
perfectly controlled wings perhaps far away in the pine
woods, almost grazing the tough trunk of some mighty tree,
or heading straight for a sheer cliff and rising fifteen
feet or more to clear it when it seems that they must be
dashed to pieces on the rock. I once saw a Kingfisher,
hard-pressed in such a pursuit, adopt a clever means of
escape. His pursuer was close upon him--about five feet
behind. On they came down the creek, neither bird seeming
to gain upon the other. Both were flying at top speed
low over the water. Suddenly there was a splash, and the
foremost Kingfisher disappeared under the water. The bird
behind swept on and lit on a nearby stub, not attempting to
renew the chase when his enemy reappeared.
The above was probably a case of one bird defending its territory
against the invasion of it by another kingfisher. Frederick C.
Lincoln (1924) saw a striking example of this during his field work
in the marshes of the Illinois River; he says: “During the period
of greatest abundance, practically every channel had its quota of
birds, each of which appeared to patrol or to hold dominion over
a certain well-defined section.” As many as 8 or 10 birds were
encountered, each always confined to its own limited section. One
of the boatmen told him that “he took much pleasure in informing
club members and others who might be with him in the club launch,
just how far the kingfisher then in sight would go and where the
next one would be met.”
William Brewster (1937a) watched a kingfisher at Lake Umbagog that
“plunged into the water, striking a fish so large, that he had to
let it go after a brief struggle, during which he failed to bring
it to the surface, although evidently trying his best to do so.”
_Voice._--There is not much beauty in the voice of the kingfisher,
but the loud rattling call always produces a thrill in the
listener; it is a wild, weird, wilderness call that enlivens
the solitudes and punctuates the stillness of lonely shores or
forest streams; it seems to fit in well with the active vigor
of this aggressive guardian of his domain, as a warning to his
rivals. It consists of a series of harsh, wooden, rattling notes
of great carrying power. It has been likened to the sound made by
an old-fashioned policeman’s or watchman’s rattle, a very good
description for those of us who are old enough to remember such
out-of-date sounds; but it may remind the younger generation of the
sound made by certain noise-making instruments used at get-together
dinners, political rallies, or other joyous gatherings.
It is not easily expressed in syllables, but Mr. Bralliar (1922)
has written it fairly well as _rickety, crick, crick, crick_. The
call varies some under different circumstances, sometimes being
quite soft and low, as if in a conversational tone with its mate.
The courtship note, referred to above by Mr. Allen, was “a mewing
note uttered in rapid succession, almost if not quite as loud as
the familiar rattle.” Then there is the whining note, referred to
by Mr. Carey above, “resembling the grating of two tree boughs
in the wind,” which seems to be a note of anger while quarreling
over fishing rights. Brewster (1937a) says that “on such occasions
they often utter a harsh _cah-car-car-car_, quite unlike the usual
volley of watchman’s rattle-like notes.”
_Field marks._--The kingfisher could hardly be mistaken for
anything else. Its shape is distinctive, its large head and crest
and its long, heavy bill are all out of proportion to its small
body, short tail, and tiny feet. As it flies its great blue wings,
its white collar, and its banded breast are unique. Its loud,
rattling note proclaims it beyond doubt.
_Enemies._--The most serious enemies of the kingfisher are the
selfish fisherman, who wants all the fish for himself and begrudges
the poor bird an honest living, and the proprietor of a trout
hatchery, who is unwilling to go to the trouble and expense of
screening his pools to protect his fish. The former shoots every
kingfisher he can with misguided satisfaction; the latter either
shoots or traps any that visit his pools. A small, unbaited, steel
trap is set and fastened to the top of a stake or post near the
bird’s favorite fishing pool; if the trap is so set that the pan is
at the highest point, the bird is almost sure to alight on it and
is caught. Hundreds of kingfishers are caught and killed in this
way along private trout streams, or about trout hatcheries, every
year.
The natural enemies of the kingfisher are of no great menace to its
welfare. The Cooper’s and the sharp-shinned hawks often pursue it,
perhaps largely for sport; under the accounts of these two hawks,
in a previous volume, will be found references to these attacks and
the successful attempts of the kingfisher to escape by diving; it
even seems as if the kingfisher enjoyed the sport, judged by its
derisive “laughter” at the defeat of the hawk.
The remains of a kingfisher have been found in the stomach of a
red-tailed hawk; the former must have been caught unaware, for the
hawk is no match for it in flight. The kingbird sometimes makes
life miserable for the kingfisher; Fred T. Jencks (1881) writes:
The Kingfisher had poised himself several times to look for
fish, and was just moving to do so again as the Kingbird
approached and attacked him. The Kingfisher is not a
troublesome bird, and always minds his own business. He
was entirely unprepared, and acted as though he could not
believe that the other had any evil intentions, for he
tried to poise again. The second attack seemed to undeceive
him, and show him his enemy was in earnest. He vaulted
and turned, vainly endeavoring to rid himself of his
persecutor. He soon saw he could not save himself by flight
and tried diving. As soon, however, as he appeared at the
surface he attempted to fly, but the Kingbird, keeping
up an incessant twittering, forced him to dive again.
Two or three times this was repeated, both birds making
considerable noise, until the Kingfisher seemed convinced
that escape in that direction was impossible, so he sat
like a duck upon the surface, and as his persecutor would
swoop at him he would go under. This lasted for some little
time, until even the Kingbird seemed wearied and flew away.
Snakes and perhaps skunks or minks may crawl into the nesting
holes, while the parent birds are away, and destroy the eggs
or young; but it would seem that the formidable beak of the
kingfisher, if at home, would prove to be an effective weapon
of defense. H. H. Bailey (1907) says: “While digging out some
Kingfishers’ nests this season I was surprised to find a dead bird
in about every fourth or fifth hole. This I was at loss to account
for, as the birds showed no signs of combat or disease, while the
plumage was not even disarranged. The bodies, though, seemed to
be dried up, with no signs of blood in them, so I presumed that
something had crawled into the holes and sucked the blood from
them, leaving the carcass intact. This surmise proved correct, as
the last hole I dug out contained a large black snake, and a dead
kingfisher still warm.”
I quote the above for what it is worth, but cannot agree with
Mr. Bailey’s conclusion. I have never heard that the black snake
is a blood-sucker and doubt if it would attack a bird as big
as a kingfisher. If such well-known blood-suckers as minks or
weasels had attacked the bird, there would have been evidences
of a struggle. I believe that the snake was looking for eggs.
The kingfishers may have died from an epidemic of roundworms or
ringworms, which have often proved fatal to these birds.
Frederic H. Kennard told me that while he was fishing on Grand
Lake, Maine, he and his daughter heard a splash behind them and
their guide saw a kingfisher dive, disappear beneath the surface
and not come up. Although they all watched for some time, the bird
never appeared. They paddled over to the place where the kingfisher
dived but could see no trace of the bird in the water or in the
air. They suspected that some of the large fish, pickerel, salmon,
or togue, that abound in that lake, may have caught the kingfisher.
Arthur W. Brockway tells me of a nest that was dug into by a skunk
and the young devoured, the excavation being made from above the
nest.
_Winter._--The belted kingfisher is a hardy bird, and remains as
far north in fall and winter as it can find open water in which
to catch a fair supply of fish. A few kingfishers remain all
winter, especially during mild winters, in southern New England,
frequenting to some extent the open inland streams, but more
regularly along the southern coast from Cape Cod to Long Island
Sound.
There, Mr. Forbush (1927) says, “they go into winter quarters in
December, especially about river mouths where at that time the
little frost-fish come in, and there they remain, unless extreme
cold locks rivers and shores in ice.”
They are occasionally seen in winter in the northern tier of
States. Dr. L. H. Walkinshaw writes to me from Battle Creek,
Mich.: “Along open stretches of water, a few kingfishers can be
found during the entire winter. I have several dates for southern
Michigan for December, January and February. I have watched them on
zero, or near zero, days dive from some dead branch after minnows
in the open stream.”
Mr. Skinner says in his notes from Yellowstone Park: “Ordinarily
this is a migratory bird, but here a few remain all winter along
the streams kept open by hot water. During cold winds and storms,
they are often seen in the most protected places, but with feathers
all fluffed out. The winter birds noticed have been males, the
females not appearing until March 17. In winter, I believe they
roost in the tops of the thick cedars in the Gardiner Canyon, but I
have no data about the other localities.”
Most of the kingfishers migrate to the more southern States during
the late fall, where they find open water and plenty of fish. There
they establish regular fishing stations and live their solitary
lives, each in its own territory. We often saw one in Florida
perched day after day in practically the same spot, presumably the
same bird in each case.
DISTRIBUTION
_Range._--North America south to northern South America; accidental
in the Azores, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
_Breeding range._--The breeding range of the belted kingfisher
extends =north= to central Alaska (Kowak River, Fairbanks, and
probably Fort Yukon); Mackenzie (Fort McPherson, Fort Wrigley, Fort
Providence, and Fort Smith); central Saskatchewan (Knee Lake and
Pelican Lake); central Manitoba (Oxford Lake); Ontario (Rossport
and North Abitibi River); Quebec (Lake Mistassini, Godbout, and
Romaine River); and east-central Labrador (Grand Falls). From
this northeastern station the range extends southward through
Newfoundland and along the coasts of Nova Scotia and the Eastern
United States to central Florida (Micanopy and Clearwater). =South=
to Florida (Clearwater, probably St. Marks, and Chipley); southern
Louisiana (Bird Island and Bayou Sara); Texas (Giddings, Corpus
Christi, Kerrville, and Pecos); southern New Mexico (Carlsbad
and Chloride); and southern California (Escondido). The western
limits extend northward through California, Oregon, Washington, and
British Columbia (sometimes along the coast) to Alaska (Sitka,
Hope, Mount McKinley, and Kowak River).
There are a few records north and west of the range as outlined
that may possibly represent occasional nesting. One was seen August
5 and 6, 1915, at a point 100 miles above Bethel, Alaska, and
another was seen on July 6, 1917, at Iditerod. MacFarlane (1891)
reported seeing several birds in the Fort Anderson region of
Mackenzie, but he states that no nests were found. An adult female
was taken at Churchill, Manitoba, previous to 1845; one was seen at
Fort Du Brochet on September 22, 1920, while the species also has
been reported from York Factory.
_Winter range._--In winter the species is found =north= with
fair regularity to southeastern Alaska (Sitka and Wrangell);
southeastern British Columbia (Okanagan Landing); Wyoming
(Yellowstone Park and rarely Wheatland); rarely central Missouri
(Marionville); rarely central Indiana (Crawfordsville and
Richmond); Ohio (Canton); and southern New Jersey (Cape May).
From this point the eastern boundary of the winter range extends
=south= along the coast to southern Florida (Royal Palm Hammock
and Key West); the Bahama Islands (Nassau); the Dominican Republic
(Sanchez); Puerto Rico (Fortuna); the Lesser Antilles (Anguilla,
Antigua, St. Lucia, Carriacou Island, and Los Testigos); and
northeastern Venezuela (Cariaco). South to Venezuela (Cariaco,
Guarico, and Apure); rarely northern Colombia (Santa Marta); Panama
(Barro Colorado Island); and Costa Rica (San Jose). =West= to Costa
Rica (San Jose and Rio Frio) and northward along the west coast
of Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States, and British
Columbia, to southeastern Alaska (Craig, Ketchikan, and Sitka).
Occasionally kingfishers will be recorded in winter from points in
the northern United States (Montana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, New
York, Vermont, and Massachusetts), as well as from northern Ontario
(London, Guelph, and Toronto). It also is a winter resident on
Bermuda.
The range as outlined is for the entire species, of which two
subspecies are currently recognized. The eastern belted kingfisher
(_Megaceryle alcyon alcyon_) occupies all the range east of the
Rocky Mountains and north to Quebec and Mackenzie; the western
belted kingfisher (_M. a. caurina_) is found west of the Rocky
Mountains and north to Alaska and Yukon.
_Spring migration._--Early dates of spring arrival are:
Pennsylvania--Renovo, February 22; Oil City, March 3; Beaver,
March 22. New York--Ballston Spa, March 19; Rochester, March
21; Watertown, March 27. Connecticut--Hartford, March 16. Rhode
Island--Providence, February 23. Massachusetts--Boston, March 19;
Harvard, March 25. Vermont--St. Johnsbury, March 26; Rutland,
April 4; Wells River, April 12. New Hampshire--Tilton, March 28.
Maine--Orono, April 6; Portland, April 7; Machias, April 18. New
Brunswick--Scotch Lake, April 22. Nova Scotia--Picton, April
6. Prince Edward Island--Alberton, April 17. Quebec--Montreal,
April 21; Quebec City, April 24; Godbout, May 5. Missouri--St.
Louis, February 25; Kansas City, March 10; Concordia, March
17. Illinois--Chicago, March 11; Odin, March 13. Northern
Ohio--Oberlin, February 13. Michigan--Vicksburg, March 8; Detroit,
March 20; Sault Ste. Marie, April 11. Ontario--Toronto, March
6; Ottawa, April 5. Iowa--Iowa City, March 7; Sioux City, March
18. Wisconsin--La Crosse, March 11; Madison, March 16; Stevens
Point, April 1. Minnesota--St. Cloud, March 23; Minneapolis,
March 24. Kansas--Hays, February 7. Nebraska--Valentine, March 3.
South Dakota--Vermillion, March 22; Dell Rapids, March 23. North
Dakota--Charlson, April 5. Manitoba--Margaret, April 1; Aweme,
April 11; Reaburn, April 22. Saskatchewan--Indian Head, April 22;
Eastend, April 23. Idaho--Rathdrum, April 9. Montana--Bozeman,
March 26; Great Falls, April 13, Alberta--Banff, April 25; Stony
Plain, May 12. Northwestern Alaska--Kowak River, May 21.
_Fall migration._--Late dates of fall departure are: Alberta--Lac
la Biche, September 27; Banff, September 30; Camrose, October
24. Montana--Great Falls, October 1; Big Sandy, October 9;
Fortine, October 31 (winters rarely). Saskatchewan--Indian
Head, September 20; Eastend, October 5. Manitoba--Killarney,
October 15; Aweme, October 25. North Dakota--Rice Lake, October
2; Kindred, October 22. South Dakota--Yankton, October 16;
Sioux Falls, November 11. Nebraska--Valentine, October 24;
Lincoln, October 30; Red Cloud, November 10. Kansas (sometimes
winters)--Hays, November 21; Wallace, November 24; Harper,
November 30. Minnesota--Lanesboro, November 16 (sometimes
winters); Minneapolis, November 25. Wisconsin--Madison, November
12. Illinois--Rantoul, October 27; Chicago, November 20.
Ontario--Toronto, November 3; Ottawa, November 26. Michigan, Sault
Ste. Marie, October 16; Detroit, December 4. Quebec--Montreal,
October 23. Prince Edward Island--Alberton, October 10. New
Brunswick--Scotch Lake, November 5. Maine--Portland, October 13;
Phillips, October 17. Vermont--St. Johnsbury, November 9; Wells
River, November 23. Massachusetts--Boston, December 13. Rhode
Island--Providence, December 2. Connecticut--Hartford, December 26.
New York--Watertown, October 31; Rochester, November 13. Northern
New Jersey--Elizabeth, December 15. Pennsylvania--Beaver, November
28; Renovo, November 30.
Further insight into the migratory flights of individual
kingfishers is provided by banding records. One banded as a
nestling at Noblesville, Ind., on June 21, 1924, was killed in the
Naches River Valley, Tex., on November 19, 1924, while another,
banded on June 30, 1937, at Waukesha, Wis., was retaken at Society
Hill, S. C., on November 22, 1937.
_Casual records._--At least a part of the reported occurrences of
the belted kingfisher in the Old World are unsatisfactory. Two
cases, wherein specimens were alleged to have been taken in Meath
and Wicklow, Ireland, in the autumn of 1845 are now believed to be
based upon fraud. A specimen is supposed to have been taken on the
island of Flores in the Azores, but neither its disposition nor the
details of collection are known. A male bird was taken, however, in
Holland on December 17, 1899, and another was collected on Westmann
Island, off the south coast of Iceland, in September 1901.
_Egg dates._--California: 16 records, April 7 to June 24; 8
records, April 21 to May 17, indicating the height of the season.
Illinois: 5 records, May 10 to June 8.
Massachusetts: 8 records, May 11 to June 6.
New York: 27 records, April 10 to July 15; 14 records, May 10 to 29.
Ontario: 7 records, May 24 to June 28.
MEGACERYLE ALCYON CAURINA (Grinnell)
WESTERN BELTED KINGFISHER
PLATE 15
HABITS
It has long been known that the kingfishers of the Pacific
coast are appreciably larger than eastern birds, but Dr. Joseph
Grinnell (1910) was the first to give the western race a name.
He characterizes it as “similar to the _Ceryle alcyon_ of
eastern and southern North America, but size throughout greater,
especially measurements of flight-feathers,” and goes on to say
that “the secondary wing quills are _proportionally_ longer in the
northwestern birds. This means that in addition to its greater
expanse of wing and generally larger size, the wing of _caurina_
is _broader_. In the closed wing this difference presents itself
conspicuously in the interval between the end of the longest
secondary and the tip of the longest primary. In the northwestern
birds this interval averages only 27.3 mm., while in the eastern
birds it averages 33.7 mm. This is in spite of the larger size of
the former. The ratio to total wing length in the two cases is 17
and 22 per cent., respectively.”
The nesting habits of the western belted kingfisher seem to be
very similar to those of the eastern bird; I find no record of its
nesting anywhere but in sand, clay, or gravel banks; such banks are
often much higher than those in the East, so the nesting burrow is
often at a considerable height from the base, but usually near the
top of the cliff.
In all other respects its habits are not materially different
from those of the species elsewhere. Grinnell and Storer (1924)
say: “This bird’s wing-beat is characteristic, three quick beats
followed by two executed in a more leisurely manner, like this:
one, two, three; four; five.
“A Western Belted Kingfisher watched by Mr. Walter P. Taylor came
to a perch on a bare limb overhanging some rapids in the river, and
sat there motionless. The outline of the bird’s body at once became
indistinguishable from the light and shade of its background; in
other words it was obliterated because of the disruptive pattern
of its coloration, white and slate areas alternating. If the
fishes in the water beneath got the same impression as did the
human observer, the kingfisher must have become invisible to them,
remaining so until the moment of its headlong plunge in their
pursuit.”
The eggs of the western belted kingfisher are similar to those of
the eastern bird and average only slightly larger. The measurements
of 38 eggs average 34.78 by 26.89 millimeters; the eggs showing the
four extremes measure =36.6= by 27.4, 35.7 by =28=, =31.6= by 27,
and 33 by =25.4= millimeters.
MEGACERYLE TORQUATA TORQUATA (Linnaeus).
RINGED KINGFISHER
PLATE 17
HABITS
This handsome bird is the largest of the three species of
kingfisher found on the American Continent. Its claim to a place
on our list is based on the capture of a single specimen, an
adult female, by George B. Benners, on June 2, 1888, about a mile
below Laredo, Tex., on the United States side of the Rio Grande.
The specimen was presented to the Academy of Natural Sciences,
in Philadelphia, of which Dr. Witmer Stone (1894) says: “It was
sitting on some old roots which had been washed up into a heap by
the current of the river, and was shot immediately, so that he did
not see it fly or hear its call. Mr. Benners further states that
he never saw one of these birds in the vicinity either before or
since. Upon the strength of the evidence just given this species
seems entitled to a place in the fauna of the United States, along
with several other tropical birds which occasionally reach the Rio
Grande valley.”
Col. A. J. Grayson, in his notes from western Mexico, sent to
George N. Lawrence (1874), says: