Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon

Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon. Photograph taken in the San José del Cabo Rió Lagoon, San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, March 2014.

Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon. Photograph taken within a residential community in Alamos, Sonora, December 2017. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon. Photograph taken within the Everglades National Park, South Florida, October 2022. Photograph and identification courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon. Photograph taken in within the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach, Florida, February  2023. Photograph and identification courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon, is a member of the Alcedinidae Family of Kingfishers. They are small in stature. They are found throughout Mexico at elevations below 2,500 m (8,200 feet).  They are found in coastal swamps, brackish lagoons and along the shores of reservoirs and rivers in areas that have good perches for detecting prey. They are also found along the coasts in mangrove swamps. They primarily consume fish and limited amounts of amphibians, young birds, crustaceans, insects, small mammals, reptiles and seasonal berries.

From a conservation perspective, the Belted Kingfisher is categorized by the IUCN as Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations.