Ringed kingfisher

Description:

The Ringed Kingfisher is one of the larger kingfishers and reaches a size of 40 cm. His head top and his wings are gray. He wears a white collar. His chest is reddish-orange. The male can be recognized by its jagged ridge. The female carries in contrast to males, a gray breast band belly bounded by a narrow white ring. Of these, both the Latin specific epithet torquata and the English name Ringed Kingfisher derives.

Habitat:

The breeding habitat is areas near large bodies of water, usually in heavily wooded areas where it finds a perch to hunt from. It is mostly a sedentary species, remaining in territories all year long. It is 40 to 41 cm (16–16 in) long, with deep blue or bluish-gray plumage with white markings, a shaggy crest and a broad white collar around the neck. Its most distinguishing characteristic is the entirely rufous belly, which also covers the entire breast of the male. Females are more colorful than the male and have a bluish-gray breast and a narrow white stripe separating the breast from the belly. These birds nest in a horizontal tunnel made in a river bank or sand bank.