Belted Kingfisher in Flight

I have found kingfishers to be one of the most difficult birds to photograph. They seem to be very shy and will fly off if you get within 100 yards of them. While walking along the river, this kingfisher flew by and hovered over the river just long enough for me to drop everything and get a couple of shots.

Unlike most bird species, in the kingfisher world, the females are more colorful. The female has a gold band across its chest which tells me that this one is a male.

Another interesting fact is that kingfishers are very territorial and the males will often remain in their territory all year round to defend their nesting areas. However, female kingfishers will migrate south for the winter.