Alcedo alcyon = Megaceryle alcyon (belted kingfisher) Belted Kingfisher. Alcedo alcyon Linn. Male 1,2. Female 3.
Plate 77 of Birds of America by John James Audubon depicting Belted Kingfisher.
Date between 1827 and 1838
Source University of Pittsburgh
Author John James Audubon (1785–1851)
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:77_Belted_Kingfisher.jpg
The belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) is a large, conspicuous water kingfisher, native to North America. The belted kingfisher is a stocky, medium-sized bird that has a large head with a shaggy crest. Its long, heavy bill is black with a grey base. It has a large blue band on the breast. The female features a rufous band across the upper belly that extends down the flanks. The only kingfisher in the majority of its range, the belted kingfisher's breeding habitat is near inland bodies of waters or coasts across most of North America, within Canada, Alaska and the United States. They migrate from the northern parts of its range to the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies in winter. It is a rare visitor to the northern areas of Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas.
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Subfamily: Cerylinae
Genus: Megaceryle
Species: Megaceryle alcyon (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
- Alcedo alcyon Linnaeus, 1758
- Ceryle alcyon (Linnaeus, 1758)
