Birds · Coraciiformes · Alcedinidae

Ringed Kingfisher

Megaceryle torquata

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The ringed kingfisher is the largest kingfisher in the Americas, with a slate-blue back, a white collar and a chestnut belly. It watches from a perch over the water and dives to catch fish, which it beats against the branch before swallowing them head first. It digs its nest into earth banks, a horizontal tunnel that can be more than two metres long and ends in a chamber.

Weight

250 g – 350 g

Size

38 cm – 42 cm

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

With its bill and feet it digs a tunnel of up to two and a half metres into an earth bank, ending in a chamber where it lays its eggs straight onto the ground, with no nest.
It beats fish against its perch before swallowing them, always head first, so that the scales and fins do not catch in its throat on the way down.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Rivers, lagoons, mangroves and coasts of tropical America, from the southern United States to Argentina
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 22 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 4 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megaceryle_torquata