Dec. 12, 2025: This female Belted Kingfisher scans from a perch, hovers with rapid wingbeats to pinpoint prey, then dives bill-first into the water, seizes a fish, returns to the perch, stuns it, and swallows it head-first.

A Belted Kingfisher typically begins its hunt from a high perch overlooking the water, scanning for the quick flash or movement of a small fish near the surface. When the angle from the perch is not ideal, it launches into the air and enters a controlled hover directly above the target. Its wings beat rapidly in short, choppy strokes while the tail fans wide to help it hold position, and its head remains impressively still, allowing the bird to gauge distance and see through surface glare with remarkable accuracy.

Once the kingfisher commits, it folds its wings tightly against its body and drops toward the water in a steep, streamlined plunge. It hits the surface bill-first, protected by a transparent nictitating membrane that shields its eyes as it breaks through the water. Often the entire bird disappears below the surface for a moment before rising again.

If it has secured a fish, the kingfisher lifts off with the prey clamped in its long, pointed bill and returns to a nearby perch. There it stuns the fish by striking it against the branch or piling, turns it head-first to ease swallowing, and gulps it down whole before resuming its watch over the water.