Ringed kingfisher

Megaceryle torquata

The Ringed kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata) is a bird found in Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, United States, Argentina, Mexico, and 4 more countries. Rivers, lakes and coasts from Texas to Tierra del Fuego. It eats fish, insects and other small invertebrates and reptiles and frogs. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Megaceryle torquata
Region	North America
Found in	Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, United States, Argentina, Mexico, and 4 more countries

🏡 Where the Ringed kingfisher lives

Rivers, lakes and coasts from Texas to Tierra del Fuego.

🍽️ What it eats

🐟 Fish60%
🐛 Insects & bugs20%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It is the biggest kingfisher in the Americas, with a loud rattling call.

Hear the Ringed kingfisher

Recorded by Jerome Fischer (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC552726. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Ringed kingfisher

Where does the Ringed kingfisher live?

The Ringed kingfisher lives in Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, United States, Argentina, Mexico, and 4 more countries. Rivers, lakes and coasts from Texas to Tierra del Fuego.

What does the Ringed kingfisher eat?

fish (about 60%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%), reptiles and frogs (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Ringed kingfisher endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from North America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.