The Flying Bill with Eyes

With Brad out on assignment, I am hanging around the Intrigued HQ a little more than usual – watering the plants, making sure the pipes don’t freeze, keeping the butt prints off the copier, wiping down the escalator hand rails etc. – top level management duties for sure. Since I am in the office, might as well put the feet up on the desk and bang out a few posts. Linda just planned our spring trip to Texas, which has me in a Rio Grande Valley frame of mind. In the last post, we talked about the Clay-Colored Thrush and what turned out to be a rare sighting of the White-Throated Thrush at Estero Llano Grande State Park. Going back there for today’s featured feathered friend.

Green Kingfisher found at Estero Llano Grande State Park in January 2023

Hit the jump to read more about the Flying Bill with Eyes.

You might recognize the shape of this bird through reference to its more widespread cousin The Belted Kingfisher (link here). The Belted is pervasive throughout North American and down into Central America – breeding in the north, year round in the midsection and, of course, some beach days in the south to shake the cold out from the feathers. Without a side-by-side comparison the male Belted and our featured Green Kingfisher can look pretty similar. Dagger bill, crest, white stitching on the wings. They also have similar behaviors stalking bodies of water and hunting on the wing. Note, unlike the rest of the shots in this post, the one below was taken on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus.

Green Kingfisher found at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in January 2023

There is however some key distinguishing characteristics that you can use in the field. First of all, the Green has a much narrower region. To have a chance of seeing them in the US, you really need to head down to Texas or the most southern parts of New Mexico and Arizona where they reside year round. Once you are in their overlapping range, you need to start thinking about size and color.

Green Kingfisher found at Estero Llano Grande State Park in January 2023

I realize size is relative, but in the case of the Green Kingfisher, if you see them at least once, you will quickly realize how small they are which will prepare you for any future encounters. Trust me, they are small, Steve Martin “Let’s Get Small” small

“Well, I’m gonna have to measure you. They’ve got a little test they give you; it’s a balloon, and if you can get inside of it, they know… you’re small”

Belteds range in the 11-13 inch length with a wingspan of around 20 inches. Greens top out at that low end length and only have a 10-11 inch wingspan.

Green Kingfisher found at Estero Llano Grande State Park in January 2023

This size disparity is most noticeable when looking at the head. The Belted’s bill feels a little big for the overall stature of the bird – field reference about the same length of the head profile, thick and sturdy. As you can tell from the shots here, the Green’s snoz is well over the width of the head. I have not done the research, however, I would guess the two bills are about the same length, the body of the Green just got put in the dryer. Now on to the more obvious distinction.

Green Kingfisher found at Estero Llano Grande State Park in January 2023

Pretty sure you already nailed this one – the male Belteds are slate blue layered over brilliant white with an actual “belt” of that blue running across the upper chest. The females are more colorful and have an added chestnut highlight along the sides and forms a secondary belt across the chest. The Green Kingfisher has a … wait for it … wait for it .. building suspense.. wait a little more – a forest GREEN coloring layered on a white foundation. A nod to the bird naming organization that got this one right. The females have a double green belt across the white chest – from my assessment, much more sparse than the very pronounced one on the Belteds. You might have been tempted to assume the color pattern differences between the male and the female Belted Kingfisher apply to the Green as well. You would be close in the sense that you can, indeed, tell the sexes apart by the additional chestnut coloring. However, the sexes are flipped for the Green – the males have the chestnut instead of the females and it covers a larger swath across the breast. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be fun ha.

Green Kingfisher found at Estero Llano Grande State Park in January 2023

There is one other feature I like to check, especially if they are far away which tends to mute colors. This is also useful for those with forms of color-blindness that makes it difficult to discern these color palettes. The Belteds have a “false eye”. There is a white (or lighter coloring for those unable to distinguish the specific color) spot just above the back of the bill. This spot often fools new birders – the solid black eye sits behind that spot and can easily disappear into the overall head coloring. I came up empty on my research to understand if there is a functional reason for this deceptive eye patch. My W.A.G at this point is some kind of light deflector similar to the black lines many of us donned in our days on the diamond (although in reverse in this case). Please put any thoughts you might have in the comments. Green Kingfishers will not have that feature.

The Green Kingfisher made its debut on the blog back in 2018 thanks to a chance encounter at South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center (link here). Ever since, I have found them quite regularly at Estero, the UTRGV campus and the best chances at Santa Ana NWR. They are not the easiest to get in the tin. Beyond being small, they tend to keep a good distance from humans and prefer to perch on the far side of the water. Their green coloring also allows them to blend in well with the habitat. If you are lucky, it will take flight and the white stitching will burst onto the scene. Bring your big glass, probably gonna need it.

Time to give the plants a drink and check in on the legal department – they are being too quiet and that makes me verrrrrry suspicious. Take care everyone and best of luck finding this precious green gem in the wild.

40 thoughts on “The Flying Bill with Eyes”

    1. Thank you B.! I was pretty happy with that first shot when I found it in the tin. Those Greens don’t tend to hand around much when there are humans about and I am sure it didn’t take her long to take flight – luckily I already had The Beast on target. As always, appreciate the stop in.

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    1. Thank you Werner – They can be pretty hesitant of intruders and I’m really happy I was able to get some good shots of her before she took off for a more tranquil area. Appreciate you coming by and have a great rest of your week!

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    1. The Green is going to be a lot rarer where you are at now, probably have a better chance of spotting the Ringed Kingfisher as it is more prevalent in South America and might have a chance of moving up through the Keys. Now the Belted you should have no problem bringing home, especially with all that wet hunting grounds around you. Safe travels.

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    1. Appreciate the kind words Donna! One of those birds where getting any shot of them is a win and to get ones I am willing to show others is huge bonus! We are heading back down into that area in about a month, so fingers crossed I’ll run into one again. Thank you for coming by and happy birding out there!

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  6. Great photos of the Belted Kingfisher. The ones I see up here must be the “Bolted” variety, because I can only get them on the wing. They sense a lens is going to point their direction, they skedaddle. No like Paparazzo!

    In the old building we were in for many years, a lot of my management responsibilities included plunger duty, forcing the old plumbing to choke down turdus moundus humongous. New staff were always bewildered that not only did I deal with their shit, I dealt with their shit. I couldn’t wait for a plumber to deal with over running toilets because the water dripped down into the restaurant on the ground floor. I had to remove the urinal from the men’s room because it would stick, keep running, overflow and really flood the restaurant. Did not do well for maintaining good relations with the restaurant’s owners. BTW I would not eat in that restaurant. After dealing with the stench, and seeing the filth in that restaurant over the years, I rarely eat any kind of restaurant food.

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    1. Thank you Tim…”Bolted” is a PERFECT name for the Belteds – maybe not as antisocial as the Greens, but they are definitely jumpy as you have found out. Paparazzo verrry baad ha.

      Wow, you really were the head shitmeister….literally! I can imagine the run ins you must have had with your neighbor’s downstairs. Linda keeps having me watch these Restaurant Rescue, Hell’s Kitchen, Bar Rescue etc. type shows which is having a very bad influence on my willingness to go out and eat – especially in dive bars. I remember a very good friend of mine once saying “Some things you don’t want to know”. Words to live by. Have you ever heard of the concept of “delegation”… thinking that would have come in handy for some of your duties…or is that dookies. As usual, appreciate you coming by … and making me glad I never had those responsibilities ha.

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      1. I delegate the tasks that make money. I discovered a long time ago that giving shitty jobs to staff members is not conducive to moral. I simply deal with the shit from whichever way it flies, stands, sits or lays so they are free do their jobs.

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    1. Thank you Kaya, appreciate the kind words. One of those birds that is limited in its range so it is always fun to find, shoot and share with my wonderful readers. Have a great rest of your week and happy finds on your latest adventures.

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    1. Glad I could introduce you to a cousin of the Belteds Ted, which I am sure you run into regularly on your adventures down there. Unfortunately, these Greens do not have the same distinctive call as the Belteds so I can’t really use that to clue me into where the Greens are hanging out (more of a ticking or finger tapping sound vs the incredibly loud rattles we are used to hearing from the more pervasive Fishers around us.) Trust me, she wasn’t going to give me a lot of time, so I was jamming that shutter pretty hard – thank god for burst mode hehehe. About a month away now from heading back down and trying to get another one in the tin. Happy birding …keep an eye on those Gators, those little(r) ones might be decoys for the bigger ones lying in wait. Take care.

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    1. You are absolutely correct on the right place right time – now if I could just figure out a way to make that happen more often ha. Always make us happy here at Intrigued when we can introduce our audience to new inhabitants in the wild world. Can’t wait to see what Brad brings back to share and we are already making a list of targets for our upcoming trek south. Take care Jerry and thanks for dropping in.

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    1. Thank you Wally – luckily I don’t have to reveal all the shots that went into the circular file ha. Suspect you ran into these jewels during your days in Texas (little out of our neighborhood these days). More gems coming from south Texas soon! Take care and appreciate you dropping in –

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    1. Would love to see a Common variety – we have some more exploring to do stateside first, but we’ll eventually make it to our homeland one of these years. As far as Texas goes, we are big fans and highly recommend it if you get the chance. Due to a less than fulfilling alternative trek in January, we are heading back to Texas in a few weeks to see what’s cooking during a new season down there for us – already making a list of targets to hopefully tin and share (assuming the shots come out better that finger paintings of course ha). Thanks for dropping in Tanja.

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        1. I can say the same about getting to Colorado – we need to make our way back there. I could never play southern Texas up too much on the birding front – fantastic, especially if you can get your eyes on the Central American rarities. I can already tell you heading to Texas this time will be warmer ha! We might give Arizona another chance, but not for our winter destination. We did come to agreement that AZ is not on our list of places to move to which was one of the reasons for checking it out this year.

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          1. Finding a new place to live is no easy undertaking, good luck with that!
            I have no doubt that I will love the birds in Texas once I can make it there. I hope you will have a wonderful trip and I look forward to reading your reports and to seeing your photos.

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            1. We have been talking about it for a while now and still a ways from ever making a decision. We’ll see how it goes, but one thing for sure this state has become a political comedy show. The good news is we can explore other places whenever we want now ha. Will definitely be sharing any creatures we find so stay tuned.

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    1. Absolute agree, they are extremely cautious of humans, especially those with cameras – they must mot like competition for food as I usually only see two (likely mates) or on the rare instance 3 (probably with an offspring) hunting the same waters. We are hoping to get our kayak out this year – made it out once last year and then broke my elbow like a week or two after that – last year will go down as the bad luck year ha.

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  13. Wonderful capture of a delightful bird! I can’t get over the lovely green color – from what I’ve seen so far of North American birds, green is quite a rare color (well, except for hummers, I suppose). Do they fish by hovering above the water, like the Belteds do? Wishing you acres of luck on your Texas tour!

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    1. Thank you Sam! Now that you mention it, green is rather rare outside of the Hummers. Green Heron, Green Jay. Green-Tailed Towhee a few of the warblers/vireos (although admittedly, those are usually more olive) and then the exotics like the Parrots and Monks. They fish the same way as Belteds, but their targets are usually a bit smaller due to their size. We can’t wait to get back to Texas – not sure how the mix with the Spring Breakers is going to work, but we are usually in birding places that don’t draw a lot of attention from that crowd. Where we really felt it is the fact all the places to stay significantly raised their rates. Take care and hopefully you are getting the most out of this extra day!

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      1. Dammit, Like still not working. Getting new glasses today, so hopefully will love the extra day (and your Leap, Jeep post)! The birding spots may not be filled up during Spring Break, but the traffic will be crazy. Keep your great sense of humor, and you should be fine!

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        1. Oh, forgot about the traffic ugh. Thinking the Conv. Center Flats and the Isla Blanca Jetty are going to be the busiest areas I usually bird down there – maybe have to set the alarm early to get out there before the hangovers wear off on all the breakers.

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