Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Stocky and top-heavy with a large shaggy crest, dagger-like bill, and blue-gray plumage, the Belted Kingfisher is a familiar sight along North American waterways. Unusually, the female is more colorful than the male, sporting an extra rusty belly band. It nests in burrows dug into earthen banks, sometimes tunneling several feet deep.