within a few meters of its edge. In a study in Amazonia about half of the perches were bare snags and the rest were a mix of leafless and leafy trees and bushes. It usually shifts perches after each foray. Occasionally it hovers before diving, sometimes from as high as . Pairs often defend feeding territories from other green kingfishers but seldom from other kingfisher species. The prey is mostly small fish but includes crustaceans such as shrimp and also adult and nymph aquatic and terrestrial insects. The size of the fish taken varies, apparently with availabilty and the presence of other species of kingfishers. Studies have published sizes as , as averages of and at different sites, and as "seldom exceed[ing] a length of two inches". Breeding The green kingfisher's breeding season varies geographically. In Central America it is during the dry season of spring and early summer. In Suriname and Guyana, it usually extends to August and occasionally to December or beyond. Breeding dates further south have not been documented. Both members of a pair excavate a nest burrow, almost always in an earthen bank of a stream or river. It is up to long with a small nest chamber at the end. The clutch size varies from two to six. The incubation period is 19 to 21 days; usually the female incubates at night and the parents alternate during the day. The young fledge 26 to 27 days after hatching and the parents chase juveniles from their territory about 29 days after fledging. Status The IUCN has assessed the green kingfisher as being of Least Concern. It has an extremely large range. Its estimated population of about 20 million mature individuals is, however, believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. References External links Stamps (for El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Suriname) with Range Map at bird-stamps.org green kingfisher green kingfisher Native birds of the Southwestern United States Kingfisher, green Birds of the Rio Grande valleys Birds of Central America Birds of South America green kingfisher green kingfisher