If I am patient and persistent, I can usually end up with pretty good shots of most types of birds that I see. The Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), however, is a notable exception—I only rarely get a clean look at a kingfisher and don’t think that I have ever gotten a close-up shot of one.
Why? Belted Kingfishers are small, fast, and extremely skittish, which makes them remarkably elusive. Most of the time my first indication that a kingfisher is in the area is when I hear its distinctive rattling call as it flies away from me. It sometimes feels like the bird is taunting me. It will often fly only a short distance away, giving me hope that I will be able to creep closer, and then it will fly away again as soon as I start to move.
I have several encounters with a Belted Kingfisher this month and was happy to get this shot recently of a female. You can tell that it is a female because of the chestnut stripe on its breast. Males have only a blue stripe—it is really unusual with bird species to have the female more colorful than the male.
Kingfishers have a very distinctive look with their stocky bodies, large heads and thick, pointed bills. I always enjoy seeing photos of kingfishers from other parts of the world, including the brilliant blue Eurasian Kingfisher, a species that I hope to see in person in the future, when it becomes safe enough to travel internationally again.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
100% with you on the challenges photographing them. Need to have some luck on top of persistent.
I totally agree with you. You can improve your chances by knowing your subject and the location, but luck definitely plays a big role in having an opportunity present itself. It’s then that skill and gear may come into play and affect your ability to take advantage of the situation. It is a challenge, but one that I enjoy. I go out with my camera with a hope and expectation that I will see something cool and most often I do, though it is not always what I had initially anticipated.
Kingfishers are a beautiful species, and their characteristic short bodies, colorful markings and sharp bills make them a favorite. I, too, have played that game with them, not in photographing but just wanting to be near and view them through the binoculars only to have the individual fly off when I get close.
Thanks, Jet. It’s a fun game to play. I’m optimistic that one day I will get really lucky or will encounter an unusually tolerant kingfisher and get a close-up shot. That optimistic sense of hope is one of the motivating factors that gets me out of the house with my camera again and again. 🙂
One of the most difficult. Nice shot.
Congratulations, Mike. You’ve Done better than me capturing them. I didn’t know the females had the chestnut stripe! Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
Thanks, Mitzy. I am always happy when there is an identifiable characteristic that helps me distinguish the males from the females in a species. 🙂
I’ve tried, time and again, but they are flighty. At least they’re considerate enough to let us know when they’re around, given that distinctive call.
Congrats! They are indeed tricky to get a clear shot of.
Very nice Mike! Kingfishers are fun to photograph but usually not cooperative to the photographer! At my old home there was a small lake at a local Wildlife Area that had Kingfishers visiting quite often. But you really had a challenge to photograph them, especially in flight! But once in a while you were able to get nice closeups of them! Plus they were quite vocal and it was cool to here them chatter!
Very nice capture, Mike, not only of the elusive Kingfisher, but also of her complex stick perch.
Thanks, Ellen. I was amazed when I saw the number of branches in that shot. and thought about cropping some of them out. In the end I decided that I liked the latticework pattern of the branches.