Talk:Belted kingfisher

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distribution guide[edit]

Can someone translate the distribution map? "follows the Sibley Color Guide" is not helpful, I'm not able to find a reference that says which color is which. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sevesteen (talk • contribs) 03:49, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Louisiana Native?[edit]

The Belted Kingfisher is known for being prevalent in the swamps and bayous of Louisiana correct? I believe this is the strain of the Kingfisher that I used to watch as a child...

--Apachebeard 20:16, 4 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

If it was not the Ringed Kingfisher (which is unlikely), it sure was this species. Dysmorodrepanis (talk) 17:51, 14 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

description[edit]

In the description section is says, "This kingfisher shows sexual dimorphism, with the female more brightly coloured than the male." Is this correct? Every picture I've seen of these birds shows the males as having the more intense (brighter) blue color, even the pictures on the Wikipedia page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.2.148.148 (talk) 01:55, 16 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It is important not to trust photos for color information. Different lighting, different cameras, different post-processing by people looking at monitors with different color characteristics, etc., can result in photos that vary radically from their original subject. Modern digital cameras produce images with much more exaggerated color than those of even just a few years ago. And when you are sitting at your desk, tweaking your photo, you are usually trying to make it look as fantastic as possible. And you don't have the original bird sitting next to your monitor to compare it to. So you end up with something bright and super-saturated like the photo of the male kingfisher that currently appears on this Wikipedia page. It's a beautiful picture, but the birds don't usually look quite that vivid in real life.

Conversely, the current photo of the female looks like it has had too much blue removed - either in post processing or perhaps that is how the camera color-balanced it. Still a very nice photo.

Either of these two photos will work for identification because there is only one kingfisher in North America and so subtle color errors in the photos (or in the descriptions) really don't matter. They both look like Belted Kingfishers. On my monitor, anyway! FatBear1 (talk) 03:42, 11 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

possible map error[edit]

according to this map these birds live in the harsh desert environments of western North America (even in Death Valley). But how is it possible for a bird that only lives near water to live in such places? If this is correct please explain how this is possible. if not than please fix the map. I find it vary hard to believe this bird would last long in Death Valley. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.245.243.173 (talk) 20:55, 17 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Belted Kingfishers actually are found in Death Valley! Even in such a dry places there are springs and creeks. See the range map on https://ebird.org/species/belkin1 for more details.

A range map shows areas where the species may be found given suitable habitat. Imagine that a dot is placed at every spot where the species has been, and if dots are close enough, the area is shaded. The level of detail varies with the closeness between dots required to shade. So there will be spots in the shaded area where the species has never been. The more detail, the larger the map is required to be. MrVibrating (talk) 23:53, 7 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]