Belted Kingfisher

A female Belted Kingfisher laughs at the photographer. In this species, the female is showier than the male, as she sports the cinnamon bands in addition to the blue breast band. Males have only the latter and are cinnamonless. This species is often hard to photograph well, as kingfishers generally shun the company of just about everything, including their own species (other than during the breeding season, when males take on much of the nesting tasks). They vociferously object to interlopers with loud rattles and usually fly up the creek and far away. I stumbled across this photo while plumbing the archives for a project. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia, February 21, 2017.

I apologize for my recent laxness in providing posts. Busy, busy, but scads of material await, as always.