Written by Mark Kramer | Photos by Gary Seloff

Keep a watchful eye on the powerlines and trees adjacent to local bayous and ditches and you may be fortunate to see a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon). These small, fish-eating birds return to the Texas coast in September/October. After rearing this year’s brood, they do a short migration to their winter fishing grounds on Armand Bayou. They’re most often seen sitting on an observation perch scanning the water for small fish or other small aquatic morsels.  

On close inspection, Kingfishers have tiny feet in relation to their body. An oversized, shaggy head almost seems out of proportion in relation to the body. Without good optics, an observer may never see this as the birds rarely allow a person to approach and will fly when you are still at a great distance. This long flight distance rarely allows the casual observer to gain full appreciation of this magnificent bayou fisherman. Here’s another tip of my hat for the intimate photos from Gary Seloff, who’s images highlight these fabulous details.

They most commonly perch, waiting for a fish to surface within striking distance. Dive, however, is an inaccurate description as it implies a bird falls quickly with motionless wings. The Kingfisher spectacle pursues fish, driving downward with strong wing beats until impacting the water. They literally fly headfirst into the water. It occurs at such lightning speed that photographers struggle to capture an image of a diving Kingfisher. 

If the dive is successful, the bird returns to the perch and may smash it’s catch against the surface to stun the prey before swallowing it.

A fishing tactic less commonly used is hovering in mid-air over a school of fish. The bird has a specific “figure eight” wing motion which allows them to “helicopter” motionless while accurately locking on to its prey. This motion is also used by canoe paddlers. The figure eight paddle stroke is described as “sculling”. The flying motion seems to defy the laws of gravity before the bird drives forcefully down into the water.

On Armand Bayou, they are predominantly Fall/Winter birds. They enjoy the healthy fishery of the estuarine bayou waters until Springtime produces the drive to nest.

Kingfishers have one of the most unique nesting strategies of any bird in our area. They seek out steep sand embankments which are typically located in sharp bends of East Texas rivers. Because this critical nesting habitat doesn’t commonly occur in the flat coastal plain or in the Bayou City, the birds travel to the rivers where they can meet these reproductive needs. They dig a 3-6-foot-deep tunnel in the sand cliff where the young are raised. 

The vertical cliff must be tall enough with unstable sand below to eliminate any scavenging raccoons or rat snakes from entering. On several occasions, I have seen these nest tunnels while paddling on Village Creek, a tributary of the Neches River. This short distance migration between nesting habitat and Winter feeding habitat is critical for the species survival.

The bird world commonly attributes a distinction between males and females with males containing vibrant, colorful plumage and females being more dull in color. This sexual dimorphism typically provides less vibrant feathers to camouflage females during incubation. 

 While this is true for the vast majority of birds, the script is flipped with Belted Kingfishers. The males are most drab with females having the most color. Female Belted Kingfishers have a chest patch of rust red feathers.

 On rare occasions, Green Kingfishers (Chloroceryle americana) have been seen on Armand Bayou. They are a rare sight on Armand Bayou and more commonly seen in the Rio Grande Valley and south. They seem to prefer the narrow, confined water of extreme upper Armand Bayou. I have seen them twice on Armand Bayou.

I’ve enjoyed watching Kingfishers both on their Wintering grounds and nesting in east Texas. They are fast-flying, loud, animated birds that always put on a good show.