PARTITIONING OF FORAGING HABITAT BY THREE KINGFISHER SPECIES (ALCEDINIDAE: CERYLINAE) ALONG THE SOUTH LLANO RIVER, TEXAS

A current northward expansion of Ringed (Megaceryle torquata) and Green Kingfishers (Chloroceryle americana) places them in aquatic systems with the temperate Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon). I surveyed a 23.5km stretch of the South Llano River near Junction, TX to determine seasonal abundance and compare foraging perch characteristics among the species. Data was collected on 7 foraging perch characteristics for 250 kingfisher observations across 26 surveys. Mean encounter rate for Green, Belted, and Ringed Kingfishers per river kilometer was 0.48, 0.22, and 0.09, respectively. Seasonal presence varied among the species: Green Kingfishers were present year-round, while the Belted and Ringed Kingfishers were absent from mid-spring to mid-summer. Foraging perch characteristics were analyzed via permutational multivariate analysis of variance using distance matrices; characteristics of Green Kingfisher foraging perches were significantly different from those of Belted and Ringed Kingfishers, while there was no difference in foraging perch characteristics between Belted and Ringed Kingfishers.