In flight, he may go so low that his wingtips dip into the water s surface or he may hover 50' over the water searching for small fish. When a kingfisher finds a suitable snack, he will dive into the water, capture it in its bill and fly up to a branch. The prey is then stunned by whacking its head against the branch, flung into the air, caught head first, and swallowed. Usually, finger-sized fish are taken, but sometimes a fish as long as the bird, is taken and swallowed, leaving an inch or two of the tail sticking into the air. Young trout are sometime taken, but chub and sculpin are the preferred foods, which, in themselves, are destructive to trout.
Kingfishers have been know to wreck havoc on fish hatcheries and paid for it with their lives.
When fish are scarce, they will feed on crustaceans, herptiles, insects, mice and berries. During mating season, the male woos the smartly dressed female with mewing songs. After mating, the couple digs a 3' to 15' long tunnel into a steep walled bank of clay or sand, which may or may not be near the water. At the end of the tunnel, they dig a round domed nesting cavity. Occasionally, they share the tunnel with swallows, who construct their own little side bungalos.