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Birds of Yosemite National Park (1954, 1963) by Cyril A. Stebbins and Robert C. Stebbins

ROLLER-LIKE BIRDS: Order Coraciiformes

KINGFISHERS: Family Alcedinidae

BELTED KINGFISHER
BELTED KINGFISHER
BELTED KINGFISHER (Megaceryle alcyon): 11-14 in. Above slaty blue; white band around neck; brownish-blue band across breast; prominent slaty blue crest; bill long and strong; below white; sides with gray and, sparingly, brown. Female: Similar to male, but with additional band (rusty) across belly and chestnut on sides. Call loud, harsh, rattling sound, often heard in flight. Nests in holes in earthen banks near water.

Attracted to both salt and fresh water where it feeds on small fishes. Frequents lakes, ponds, larger streams, and the seacoast. Widespread R. chiefly west of the deserts. Frequently seen along streams in the Yosemite region to an elevation of about 8,600 feet in Tuolumne Meadows. Nests in the banks of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley.


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