Mysteries of the kingfisher's belt

Writer Deborah Richie explains why two belts appear on the white breast of the female Belted Kingfisher -- a blue-gray belt and a rufous belt -- while only a single blue-gray band appears on the male. Richie asks whether kingfishers swap gender roles, as phalaropes do, and she consults biologist Michael Hamas and ornithologists Geoffrey Hill and Timothy Brush. They explain how kingfishers defend breeding territories and attract mates, the physical process by which birds produce rufous feathers, and the benefits of various plumages. Male and female Green and Ringed Kingfishers, species found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, are also described.