Identification - The breeding male is larger than a robin. The body is bluish-gray above and white below. Its big head, long stout bill, bushy crested head, and blue-gray band across the chest are good field marks of the male.
Morsels - This kingfisher, a relative of the famed Australian Kookaburra, nests in a chamber at the end of a burrow that can be up to 15 feet (4.6 meters) long. The burrow is usually dug in a sand-clay bank very close to water. When the young fledge, the adults teach them to feed by catching and then dropping dead fish into the water. The young practice by "catching" these easy prey. When fishing it often hovers over the water before plunging head first after its prey.