Beautiful Birds of Belize Blog – Post #5

By Jim Gain

3/31/2023

• Scientific Name: Chloroceryle amazona
• Name in Spanish (Mexico): Martín Pescador Amazónico
• ABA 4-Letter Bird Code: AMKI
• Family: Alcedinidae
• Order: Coraciiformes

About this Bird

The Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona) is a stunning bird species found in Belize, a small Central American country with a rich biodiversity. These kingfishers are commonly found along the banks of rivers, streams, and lagoons in the lowland rainforests of Belize. They have a distinctive blue-green iridescent color on their upperparts and a rufous belly and breast.

The Amazon Kingfisher’s diet primarily consists of fish, which they catch by diving into the water from a perch. They are solitary birds and fiercely territorial, defending their fishing territory from other kingfishers. These birds nest in burrows in the banks of rivers or in the soft soil near the water’s edge. Both male and female birds participate in digging the burrow and raising the chicks.

The Amazon Kingfisher is an important indicator of the health of the ecosystems in which it lives. Its presence indicates the presence of healthy fish populations, which in turn are supported by healthy river and stream ecosystems. As such, conservation efforts aimed at protecting the Amazon Kingfisher also have wider implications for the conservation of the ecosystems in which it lives.

>> Next Post on Sunday, 4/2/2023 – Masked Tityra

Previous posts from Beautiful Birds of Belize Blog

• White Ibis
• Limpkin
• Anhinga
• Scaly-breasted Hummingbird
• Gray-breasted Martin