The Ringed Kingfisher is our largest out of the six species that occur here in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago. This enormous king of fishing will find a perch over the water and, upon seeing a good sized fish will drop into the water faster than a metal fishing jig before it snaps up its prey.
When this impressive family of birds hits the water, their eyes instantly snap shut their, what is known as, nictitating membranes: Basically a see-through eyelid that protects the kingfisher when it hits the water at speeds up to 40km per hour!
Other kingfisher species that can be found throughout Bocas include the next largest, the Amazon Kingfisher, one of our green kingfishers. With an enormous beak and an impressive mohawk the Amazon is a gorgeous combination of dark green and white that is simply stunning!
This Ringed Kingfisher pictured here is a proud male with a full rufous belly while the female only sports the blue body, white chest and neck ring with no rufous at all. The Amazon Kingfisher (don’t tell any of the others that its my favorite!) males also has rufous on the upper breast as does our Green Kingfisher while the femal of both species are a crisp mix of white and green, they can’t be confused for the most part considering the size of these similar looking green-plumaged kingfishers is a nine centimeter difference!
The migratory Belted Kingfisher, who winters here with us down in the warm tropics is the kingfisher I grew up with, the sole species of my DC area stomping grounds. These birds are VERY mouthy when they are in their breeding grounds during the spring and summer up in North America so for me to be so accustomed to such a noisy species I was surprised that it didn’t make a sound whenever flushed on the Changuinola Canal.
The next species down in size is now our Green Kingfisher, seemingly the most common around our plentiful mangrove islands and coastline. I would say this is the “Belted Kingfisher of the south” being that they are pretty mouthy. They let you know what they think if you catch one unaware while paddling along the mangroves. Little buzzy things low in the mangrove forests.
The final and most tiny of the kingfisher family (here in the new world) is the American Pygmy Kingfisher, practically the size of a golf ball. This species’ coloration is unique in that both species have rusty bellies and a collar that is orangey yellow. The female is unique in that she sports a green collar across her front, beneath her orange/red chin and below a rusty red finishing with a white shock of underbelly.
This itty bitty kingfisher is without a doubt a fan favorite among my bird-loving guests and very sneaky making them difficult to spot, staying along banks just under the vegetation, blending into the shadows. They make you work for them!
But the Pygmy and all the rest are each in their own way wildly impressive. And I don’t want to forget our least-seen species that prefers freshwater habitat, the Green-and-Rufous Kingfisher which is VERY similar to the Pygmy but twice the size of the little sprite which clocks in at 13 centimeters!
If you’re interested in a tour where we have great chances of seeing nearly all of the kingfisher species we have here, check out my website ecotour offerings (BocasBiodiversity.com) for a description of the Changuinola Canal tour which is great for spotting kingfishers or contact me directly at my whatsapp at +1 240-672-7363.
Thanks, as always for reading!
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