Belted Kingfisher vs European Goldfinch

Megaceryle alcyon مقارنةً بـ Carduelis carduelis

Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Belted Kingfisher European Goldfinch
الاسم العلمي Megaceryle alcyon Carduelis carduelis
الرتبة Coraciiformes Passeriformes
الفصيلة Alcedinidae Fringillidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول 33,0 cm (13.0 in) 13,0 cm (5.1 in)
طول الجناح 53,0 cm (20.9 in) 23,0 cm (9.1 in)
الوزن 150,0 g (5.29 oz) 16,0 g (0.56 oz)
النظام الغذائي Primarily small fish caught by plunge-diving from a perch or hover. Also takes crayfish, frogs, … Seeds, especially thistle (Carduus) and teasel seeds, extracted with its precise tweezer-like bill. Also takes …
عدد البيض في الوضع 6-7 4-6
Population Trend

Size Comparison

Body Length
Belted Kingfisher 33,0 cm
European Goldfinch 13,0 cm
طول الجناح
Belted Kingfisher 53,0 cm
European Goldfinch 23,0 cm
الوزن
Belted Kingfisher 150,0 g
European Goldfinch 16,0 g

Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

Belted Kingfisher only

بلا

European Goldfinch only

Belted Kingfisher

Rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, estuaries, and coastlines with clear water and suitable perches. Nests in burrows dug into earthen banks.

European Goldfinch

Open woodland, orchards, gardens, parks, and weedy fields with seed-bearing plants. Common at garden bird feeders.

Song & Call Comparison

Belted Kingfisher

الغناء

A loud, rattling 'klee-klee-klee-klee' — mechanical and penetrating. Given in flight along rivers. Also a harsh 'kekekek' near nest. Far louder than Common Kingfisher.

European Goldfinch

الغناء

A liquid, tinkling 'swit-swit-swit' in flight and a melodic twittering song. Flocks produce a bright jingling chorus. Male song is a sweet repetitive warble incorporating the flight call.

Geographic Range & Migration

Belted Kingfisher

North America from Alaska and Canada to Central America and the Caribbean. Northern populations migrate south in winter.

European Goldfinch

Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. Introduced to Australia, New Zealand, and parts of South America.

حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Belted Kingfisher

Least Concern

European Goldfinch

How to Tell Them Apart

Belted Kingfisher

الريش

Blue-grey upperparts with a shaggy crest and a white collar. Males have a single blue-grey breast band; females have an additional rufous belly band.

المنقار

Long, heavy, straight, dark dagger-like bill

European Goldfinch

الريش

Crimson red face with white cheeks and a black crown. Sandy-brown back with a bright yellow wing bar visible in flight. Black and white tail.

المنقار

Slender, pointed, ivory-pink bill adapted for extracting seeds from thistles

About These Birds

Belted Kingfisher

The belted kingfisher is unusual in that the female is more colorful than the male, sporting an additional rufous belly band. These noisy birds announce their territory with a distinctive rattling call. They excavate nesting burrows up to 2.4 meters deep into riverbanks using their heavy bills.

European Goldfinch

The European goldfinch is a strikingly beautiful finch whose tinkling song and colorful plumage have made it popular in art and as a caged bird for centuries. It appears frequently in Renaissance paintings as a symbol of the Passion of Christ. Flocks of goldfinches are charmingly called a charm.

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