Silhouette of a Ringed Kingfisher

Largest kingfisher in the Americas with exceptionally enormous bill and raucous calls. Blue-grey with shaggy crest, white-collar, and rufous belly. Male and female similar, but note different breast pattern: entirely rufous on male, while the female has blue-grey band bordered by white. Often conspicuous, searching shallow water for fish from a prominent perch and chattering noisily when disturbed. Singles or pairs are also often observed flying high overhead and giving loud “keck” calls. Nests in burrows excavated in banks, generally along watercourses.