More Useless Knowledge

  Here are some questions for you!  How do you tell a male Belted Kingfisher from a female?  Where do Belted Kingfishers nest?   If these kingfishers were ever in a group, what would that group be called?  Any ideas?  If you know all of the answers, there is probably not a lot of reason to keep reading but for those who are in the dark, proceed!  

  First, the easiest way to tell the difference between male and female is their markings.  A male Belted Kingfisher has a single band (belt) of blue across his chest whereas the female has this band but also a band of rust color.  These colors are bright enough that the birds can be distinguished from one another even in flight.  It seems that the sole kingfisher on the Bayou is male.

  Now as to where the kingfishers nest, this is something that a lot of folks do not know.  While most birds nest in trees, on ledges or even on the ground, Belted Kingfishers make a burrow.  They tunnel in soft dirt near or over water.  These tunnels are sometimes shared with swallows. The swallows will dig small cavities in the sides of the Kingfishers' tunnels.  This works well for both bird families as they are protected from most predators.

  While Belted Kingfishers are notably solitary birds, they occasionally will be in small groups.  The name for the group comes from the sound of their call.  A "Rattle" of kingfishers do, indeed, rattle a good bit!

  So, there you have a good bit of useless information!