The belted kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon (Linn.), is the only species in the family Alcedinidae or the order Coraciiformes found in Illinois. Illinois is home to breeding populations, and kingfishers can be seen here year around. The consideration of the belted kIngfisher as the mascot for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers an opportunity for Funk ACES Library to highlight resources for finding information about this magnificent Illinois bird and its relatives.
We invite you to reach out to us at Funk Library if you need help finding information on the biology and natural history of kingfishers or any other organisms!
From A Natural History of Birds : Most of Which Have Not Been Figur'd or Describ'd, and Others Very Little Known from Obscure or Too Brief Descriptions without Figures, or from Figures Very Ill Design'd. London : Printed for the author at the College of Physicians in Warwick-Lane, [1743-1751]
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the Smithsonian Libraries.
From The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands : Containing the Figures of Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, Insects, and Plants... London : Printed at the expence of the author,1729-1747.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by Smithsonian Libraries.
From Recueil de divers oiseaux étrangers et peu communs (t. 4-5), Nuremberg : Chez les Héritiers de Seligmann,1768-1776.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by Smithsonian Libraries.
Lithograph from John James Audubon's Birds of America vol. 4, New York : J.B. Chevalier, 1842.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by Smithsonian Libraries.
From Illustrated natural history of the animal kingdom, being a systematic and popular description of the habits, structure, and classification of animals from the highest to the lowest forms, with their relations to agriculture, commerce, manufactures, and the arts, New York, Derby & Jackson,1861, [c1859].
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
From Key to North American Birds. Salem,1872.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
From A monograph of the Alcedinidae : or, family of kingfishers. London : Published by the author,1868-71.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library.
From American ornithology; or, The natural history of the birds of the United States. London : Cassell, Petter & Galpin [187-]
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From A History of British Birds, vol. 2. London : John van Voorst, 1876-1882.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
From Nests and eggs of birds of the United States. Philadelphia,J.A. Wagenseller,1882.
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From Report on the birds of Pennsylvania. With special reference to the food-habits, based on over three thousand stomach examinations, Harrisburg,E.K. Meyers, State Printer,1888.
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From, Our Common Birds and How to Know them. New York : C. Scribner,1895, c1891.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
From The Birds of Eastern North America Known to Occur East of the Ninetieth Meridian (part 2). Chicago : Printed for the Field Columbian Museum [by A. Mudge],1899.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
From Bird-Life : a Guide to the Study of Our Common Birds. New York : Appleton,1900.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the American Museum of Natural History Library.
From The Second Book of Birds; Bird Families. Boston : Houghton Mifflin,1901.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by Smithsonian Libraries.
From Studer, Jacob Henry. The Birds of North America : One Hundred and Nineteen Artistic Colored Plates Representing the Different Species and Varieties Drawn and Colored from Nature. New York : Published under the auspices of the Natural Science Association of America,1903.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by Smithsonian Libraries.
From Gray lady and the birds; stories of the bird year for home and school. New York,The Macmillan company,1907.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by Smithsonian Libraries.
From Birds Every Child Should Know. New York :Doubleday, Page & Co.,1908, c1907.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
From The Birds of Illinois and Wisconsin, Field Museum Publication, Zoological Series no. 9, Chicago,1909.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
From Bird Guide, part 2 : Land Birds East of the Rockies, from Parrots to Bluebirds, Worcester, Mass. : Chas. K. Reed,1912.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
From Nature Neighbors, vol. 3. Chicago : American Audobon Association [c1914].
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
From Birds of New York, pt. 2. Albany : University of the State of New York, 1914.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University of Toronto - Gerstein Science Information Center.
From Birds of New York, pt. 2. Albany : University of the State of New York, 1914.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the Internet Archive.
From Further Observations on Minnesota Birds: Their Economic Relations to the Agriculturalist, Minnesota State Entomologist Circular no. 35. St. Anthony Park, Minn. : Office of the State Entomologist, 1916.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
From The Human Side of Birds. New York : Frederick A. Stokes company, 1917.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the American Museum of Natural History.
From The Burgess Bird Book for Children, Boston :Little, Brown, and company,1919.
Digiitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by University of California Libraries.
From Our Southern Birds. Chattanooga, Tenn.National book company[c1919].
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the Library of Congress
From, Little Friends in Feathers, New York : Barse & Hopkins [c1921].
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the Library of Congress.
From Field Book of Wild Birds and Their Music; a Description of the Character and Music of Birds, Intended to Assist in the Identification of Species Common in the United States East of the Rocky Mountains, New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons[ c1921].
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by Smithsonian Libraries
From Birds of Eastern Canada. Ottawa : Acland,1922.
Altnerate version, in the French language edition, is here.
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
From Birds of the Pacific Coast, Including a Brief Account of the Distribution and Habitat of One Hundred and Eighteen Birds that are More or Less Common to the Pacific Coast States and British Columbia, Many of Which are Found Eastward to the Rocky Mountains and Beyond New York : G. P. Putnam's sons,1923.
Digtized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by the American Museum of Natural History
From Smithsonian Scientific Series, vol. 9 (1931).
Digitized for the Biodiversity Heritage Library by Smithsonian Libraries.
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