General

Ringed Kingfisher: Large kingfisher with blue-gray upperparts, rufous underparts, white undertail coverts, blue-gray head with ragged crest, long heavy black bill, and white chin extending into a white collar. The female looks similar except she has a broad gray breast band above the rufous belly rather than the all rufous underparts of the male.

Range and Habitat

Ringed Kingfisher: Uncommon and local but increasing its range in southeast Texas; widespread in the American tropics. Found along larger rivers, lakes, and lagoons.

Breeding and Nesting

Ringed Kingfisher: Three to six white eggs are laid in a nest made of twigs and grass, built at the end of a bank tunnel dug by the parents, sometimes far from water. Eggs are incubated for 20 days by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Ringed Kingfisher: Eats mostly fish, but also takes amphibians, reptiles, and insects; hunts from a perch or hovers over water, plunge diving to capture prey.

Vocalization

Ringed Kingfisher: Song is a drawling, low-pitched, harsh, and clattering rattle; call is loud "cla-ak."

Similar Species

Ringed Kingfisher: Belted Kingfisher is smaller and lacks rust-brown belly.