A rare vagrant such as the Belted Kingfisher is surely a treat for Iceland. This colourful bird is not like any Icelandic bird.  Interestingly enough though, this one has gone unnoticed, at least by birders, probably since November. A week ago it was spotted by birders, much to their delight. In November a sighting was reported but the bird had not been photographed and it was not spotted again.  Now it is at the same place by Varmá in Mosfellsbær, a neighbouring town of Reykjavík.

This female bird never goes far from a pond which provides its ideal feed, sticklebacks. In winter the Kingfisher stays by water that doesn’t freeze so this pond is perfect. They make their nests in holes that they dig by lakes, rivers or ponds. Since this female is on her own, there will be no nest making in this otherwise ideal breeding place.

The Belted Kingfisher is an American bird and the one which has the most widely spread habitat of all birds in North America. This is the sixth Belted Kingfisher to be seen in Iceland.