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Posted by Marcello Gomes on 23:33:50 10/11/13
Let me just say upfront that I am not yet an expert with Belted Kingfishers. I do have observed them in South Florida for the past few years more closely when they come down to our area. It's almost always a single bird - often perched on the utility wires or a branch by a lake area. I've connected some dots and began noticing that as they fly south they sometimes come in twos - not necessarily male & female. A few days ago, I was driving by a canal in my neighborhood and stopped to observe some interesting behaviors I had not witnessed before. There were two female Kingfishers right next to each other. They were happily rattling away like a heavy fishing reel. Then one flew not so far and not so fast either. Next, it took a quick turn and hovered above the other and they almost touched bills. I am thinking that this might have been a possible mother and daughter way of communication. It looked as though one was trying to feed the other and they were not aggressive towards each other.
If anyone is an expert and care to comment, please shed some light. I have never seen more than 2 Kingfishers together. As you know, they are often territorial and solitary at best during non-breeding times. I got some nice shots of them. The one with the two acting up I could only do through my car's front window since this behavior happened so unexpectedly...and you know how skittish they can be (so this particular shot is just for ID purposes and not quality).
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