Death from Above
Dubbed "kingfishers" due to their specialized anatomy for catching fish with striking accuracy, belted kingfishers are truly masters of fishing. They possess a nictitating membrane, or a transparent third eyelid, that allows them to still see their target as they strike water without damaging their eye sight. Along with this, belted kingfishers have a unique eye structure that possesses two foveae, instead of the usual one, allowing them to judge the depth a fish is at when underwater before even diving. This also means refraction does not impact their ability to judge a fishes location!
Sexual Dimorphism Swap
In species that exhibit sexual dimorphism, male birds are often more colorful compared to females. However, belted kingfisher females are the more vibrant of the two, sporting a reddish band running down their chest, earning them their "belted" description. On campus, we have a female who's hunted on Kingswood Lake for about a year. Listen for her rattling call that sounds like a taser as she flies over the water!
