At the end of the tunnel they dig a nesting cavity. Both birds dig out the burrow, calling to each other during the process. Both parents incubate, with the female sitting through the night, and the male taking her place in the early morning. Chicks leave the burrow after about 28 days. The young remain with the parents and are fed by them with increasing irregularity.
Parents teach fishing to perched young by dropping dead meals into water.
Eventually, the parents refuse to feed them anymore, and the chicks are forced from the parental territory. The belted kingfisher occurs in southern Canada, Alaska, throughout the United States, and in Central America. Belted kingfishers favor habitats around streams, creeks, rivers, lakes and even rocky seacoasts. Most individuals migrate, although belted kingfishers are capable of withstanding North American winters provided there is plenty of open water available. The scientific name for the belted kingfisher is Ceryle alcyon .