Bird

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Lives in Alabama all year and nests here. Found in all 67 counties, across 21 habitats.

Here: All year
Nesting: Nests here
Range: All 67 counties
Habitats: 21

Male Belted Kingfisher, whole bird — **Male**. (c) Brooke J., some rights reserved (CC BY). CC BY 4.0. iNaturalist photo 747510784. Source-provided large resize; no crop or image edits.

At a glance

Group: Birds
Here: All year
Nesting: Nests here
Range: All 67 counties
Habitats: 21
Habitat models: Summer, Winter

Where it lives

The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.

Habitats in Alabama 21

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 21

SummerWinterUnconsolidated Shore (Beach/Dune); Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Interdunal WetlandGeorge Catlin, White Sand Bluffs, on Santa Rosa Island, Near Pensacola (1834-35): high white dunes with scattered clumps of dune plants above the Gulf. Shown: Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola, Florida, a neighboring state.White Sand Bluffs, on Santa Rosa Island, Near Pensacola, George Catlin (1796-1872), 1834-1835. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterSouthern Coastal Plain Hydric HammockWinslow Homer, In the Jungle, Florida (1904): cabbage palms, saw palmetto and fallen trunks in a dense, shady hammock, with a wildcat in the branches. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Florida (Winslow Homer, In the Jungle, Florida, 1904), a neighboring state.In the Jungle, Florida, Winslow Homer, 1904. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterMartin Johnson Heade, On the San Sebastian River (c. 1883-90): a tidal river winding through flat marsh under storm clouds at sunset. Shown: San Sebastian River, St. Augustine, Florida, a neighboring state.On the San Sebastian River, Floridalabel QS:Len,"On the San Sebastian River, Florida", Martin Johnson Heade, c. 1883-1890. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterEast Gulf Coastal Plain Savanna and Wet PrairieGeorge Catlin, Beautiful Savannah in the Pine Woods of Florida (1834-35): an open grassy savanna with a shallow pond, ringed by tall pines, with palmettos and red wildflowers. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Pine woods of Florida (George Catlin, 1834-35; Smithsonian American Art Museum), a neighboring state.Beautiful Savannah in the Pine Woods of Florida, George Catlin, 1834-1835. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterOpen Water (Fresh)Martin Johnson Heade, Florida Sunrise: still water and a palm-fringed shore glowing at dawn. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Florida (Heade, Florida Sunrise, c. 1890-1900), a neighboring state.Florida Sunrisetitle QS:P1476,en:"Florida Sunrise"label QS:Len,"Florida Sunrise", Martin Johnson Heade, c. 1890-1900. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterOpen Water (Brackish/Salt)Thomas Moran, Fort George Island (1878): a tidal shore of wet sand and shallow water at the river mouth, with cabbage palms and a beached ship. Shown: Fort George Island, Florida (Thomas Moran, 1878; Smithsonian American Art Museum), a neighboring state.Fort George Island, Florida, Thomas Moran, 1878. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterCentral Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; South-Central Interior Small Stream and RiparianWinslow Homer, Blue Spring, Florida (1890): clear blue spring water under overhanging palms. Shown: Blue Spring, Florida (Winslow Homer, 1890; National Gallery of Art), a neighboring state.Blue Spring, Florida, Winslow Homer, 1890. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterSouthern Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall; East Gulf Coastal Plain Tidal Wooded Swamp; Central Interior and Appalachian Swamp Systems; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Cypress DomeFlorida, Sunset on the Ocklawaha (1899): a dark swamp-lined river at sunset, with cypress and hardwoods crowding both banks. Shown: Ocklawaha River, Florida, a neighboring state.Florida, Sunset on the Ocklawaha, Detroit Photographic Co. (chromolithograph), 1899. Public domain. Source record.

Disturbed and introduced wetlands

Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

SummerWinter

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

SummerWinterEast Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier; South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Forest Modifier; Southern Piedmont Large Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier; Central Interior and Appalachian Floodplain Systems; Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; Southern Piedmont Small Floodplain and Riparian Forest; South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian; East Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Floodplain Forest; Southern Coastal Plain Blackwater River Floodplain Forest; South-Central Interior Large Floodplain

Hardwood and oak flatwoods

Flat, poorly drained uplands and terraces with oaks, sweetgum and sometimes loblolly pine, wet in winter and dry in summer, but neither a floodplain nor a swamp.

SummerWinterSouth-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods

Salt and brackish marshes

Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.

SummerWinterMississippi Sound Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh

SummerOnly within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.Southern Piedmont CliffNamed place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trees and rocks on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

SummerWinterOnly within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.East Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest; Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Hardwood; Southern Coastal Plain Dry Upland Hardwood Forest; Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Hardwood Modifier; Southeastern Interior Longleaf Pine Woodland; Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest; Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest; Southern Appalachian Low Mountain Pine Forest

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

SummerWinterOnly within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.Disturbed/Successional - Shrub Regeneration; Harvested Forest - Shrub Regeneration

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone

Open, thin-soil openings and rock on limestone, dolomite or other lime-rich rock, including cedar glades.

SummerWinterOnly within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens

Granite and other acidic rock outcrops

Bare or thin-soil rock on granite, gneiss, sandstone, quartzite and similar acidic rock, including granite flatrocks and domes.

SummerOnly within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.Southern Interior Acid Cliff

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

SummerWinterOnly within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.East Gulf Coastal Plain Maritime Forest

Moderately dry forests

Forests between dry and moist, often oak-hickory on slopes.

SummerWinterOnly within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.East Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest; Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

SummerWinterOnly within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.Southern Piedmont Mesic Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Mesic Hardwood Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Mesic Slope Forest; South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest

Tree plantations and managed pine

Planted or intensively managed stands of pine or hardwoods grown for timber; a land use rather than a natural community.

SummerWinterOnly within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.Deciduous Plantation; Evergreen Plantation or Managed Pine; Managed Tree Plantation

Other habitats in its models (133)

Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Alabama. Those recorded in Alabama first, the rest by region.

Elsewhere in the South (65)

Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Maritime Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry and Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural Lakeshore Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood and Mixed Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Wooded Swamp Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Brownwater River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Maritime Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Tidal Wooded Swamp Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Xeric River Dune Summer and winter.
Central and Southern Appalachian Northern Hardwood Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Central and Southern Appalachian Spruce-Fir Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Summer and winter.
Central Interior Highlands Dry Acidic Glade and Barrens Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Crosstimbers Oak Forest and Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Bluff Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loess Bluff Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
Florida Big Bend Salt-Brackish Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
Lower Mississippi River Dune Woodland and Forest Summer and winter.
Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Mississippi River Bottomland Depression Summer and winter.
Mississippi River Low Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest Summer and winter.
Mississippi River Riparian Forest Summer and winter.
Northern Crowley's Ridge Sand Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Ozark-Ouachita Dry Oak Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Ozark-Ouachita Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Ozark-Ouachita Mesic Hardwood Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Summer and winter.
Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest and Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Red River Large Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
South Florida Bayhead Swamp Summer and winter.
South Florida Cypress Dome Summer and winter.
South Florida Everglades Sawgrass Marsh Summer and winter.
South Florida Freshwater Slough and Gator Hole Summer and winter.
South Florida Hardwood Hammock Summer and winter.
South Florida Mangrove Swamp Summer and winter.
South Florida Wet Marl Prairie Summer and winter.
Southeast Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Summer and winter.
Southern and Central Appalachian Cove Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Southern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Southern Appalachian Montane Cliff Summer, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Southern Appalachian Montane Pine Forest and Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Southern Crowley's Ridge Mesic Loess Slope Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Southwest Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Summer and winter.
Tamaulipan Calcareous Thornscrub Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Tamaulipan Mixed Deciduous Thornscrub Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Chenier and Upper Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Large River Swamp Summer and winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Flatwoods Winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Sandhill Oak and Shortleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Forest Summer and winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Western Great Plains Mesquite Woodland and Shrubland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.

Northeast (14)

Appalachian Hemlock-Hardwood Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Maritime Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt Marsh Summer and winter.
Central Appalachian Alkaline Glade and Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Central Appalachian Oak and Pine Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Central Appalachian Pine-Oak Rocky Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
North-Central Appalachian Acidic Cliff and Talus Summer, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
North-Central Appalachian Circumneutral Cliff and Talus Summer, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
North-Central Interior Wet Flatwoods Summer and winter.
Northeastern Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Northeastern Interior Pine Barrens Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry Hardwood Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.

Midwest (7)

Central Interior Calcareous Cliff and Talus Summer, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
North-Central Interior Beech-Maple Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
North-Central Interior Dry Oak Forest and Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
North-Central Interior Maple-Basswood Forest Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
North-Central Interior Oak Savanna Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
North-Central Oak Barrens Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.

Land cover and other classes (47)

Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Pine Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Forested Wetland Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-Line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Oak Dominated Modifier Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Taxodium/Nyssa Modifier Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Streamhead Seepage Swamp - Pocosin - and Baygall Summer and winter.
Central Appalachian Floodplain - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
Central Appalachian Riparian - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
Central Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems Summer and winter.
Developed, Low Intensity Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Hardwood Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest - Offsite Pine Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Hardwood Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Juniper Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Summer and winter.
Eastern Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer and winter.
Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Open Understory Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Treed Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Lower Mississippi River Bottomland Depressions - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Virginia/Pitch Pine Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest-Hardwood Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
Southern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest - Xeric Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Loblolly Pine Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-Heath Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest - Pine modifier Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Tamaulipan Mesquite Upland Scrub Summer and winter, only within 60 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
Tamaulipan Riparian Systems Summer and winter.
Unconsolidated Shore Summer and winter.
Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Summer and winter.
Western Great Plains Depressional Wetland Systems Summer and winter.
Western Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer and winter.

Forests can border streams with steep banks used for nesting; this is why the model includes upland forest classes.
The GAP model connects this bird with water-associated settings.
The GAP model includes floodplain forests and applies water-related conditions. Its separate steep-bank nesting note explains upland forest classes.

All habitats

Seasons in Alabama

Year-round: nests here, in all 67 counties.

Also found in its main habitats

Its main habitats in Alabama, by how much of its habitat model each one is, with the birds most characteristic of each and the plants that grow wild there. Shared habitat, not food.

Belted Kingfisher uses many habitats in Alabama; these are its 3 most characteristic.