Ringed Kingfisher

Megaceryle torquata (Linnaeus, 1766)

Ringed Kingfisher, Megaceryle torquata, is a kingfisher of the family Alcedinidae and order Coraciiformes, breeding from south-west USA through Middle America and across South America to Tierra del Fuego. It is a large, conspicuous bird, and it is also noisy. In the United States it is associated with the lower Rio Grande Valley in south-eastern Texas, and it is also seen along the Rio Grande and other waters in southern Texas. Its range has been moving northwards, and it was first recorded in the US in 1888.

Order

Coraciiformes

Family

Alcedinidae — Kingfishers

Breeding range

North America, Middle America, South America: sw USA to Tierra del Fuego