Kingfisher

   The kingfisher is a bird which deserves its name. It is very skilled in the art of fishing. Perching on a branch above water, it quickly swoops down on small fish. It catches or pierces the fish with a large pointed bill, then kills the fish by knocking it against a tree. The kingfisher's nest of fishbones is near water and usually in a long tunnel dug into the earth.
   Long ago, the kingfisher's colors were a basis for a myth. This myth said that when the kingfisher flew from Noah's ark, its body reflected the evening sky. Another myth concerned the halcyon, a species of kingfisher, which was supposed to nest on the sea during the winter solstice when the days are shortest and the water calm. The word halcyon means "calm, peaceful days."
   The kingfisher is chiefly a tropical bird, but one species, the belted kingfisher, is found in North America.