The Belted Kingfisher announces itself before you see it — a loud, mechanical rattle flung down a Michigan river as a big-headed, shaggy-crested, blue-gray bird powers past. Kingfishers hunt from snags and wires over clear water, hovering when no perch serves, then plunging headfirst for fish. Unusually for birds, the female is the flashier sex, adding a rusty band across the belly to the male's single blue one.
Pairs excavate nest burrows three to six feet deep into vertical sand banks — riverbanks, gravel pits, even road cuts — a real-estate requirement that ties them to eroding banks. Most follow open water south in winter, but any stretch of unfrozen river may keep its resident rattling all year.
Small fish — minnows, sticklebacks, young trout — seized in headfirst dives, beaten senseless on the perch, and swallowed head-first. Crayfish, tadpoles, and big insects fill the gaps.
A Belted Kingfisher on patrol — the dry, machine-gun rattle is its territorial announcement, given constantly in flight. Follow the sound to a dead snag over the water.
Inside a burrow they dig into a vertical earthen bank, ending in a chamber up to six feet in. Look for a baseball-sized hole high in a sandy riverbank with two grooves below it from their feet.
The one with more color — females wear a rusty belly band that males lack, a rare reversal among North American birds.
First arrivals show up in March, numbers peak from April through October, and the last birds clear out during November. Outside that window Michigan has none.
The female — she adds a rusty band across the belly that the male lacks, making this one of the few North American birds where the female is the brighter sex. Juveniles of both sexes show a patchy rusty band.
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