Nigel Ball asked about kingfishers...

> Is it the case that the first years of both sexes have at least some rufous
on the lower band?

Only one sex/gender--the female--has a lower band at all. In female Belted
Kingfishers that band is rufous. The upper band is borne by both sexes. It's
blue-gray and yes, it is flecked with rufous in younger birds of both sexes
(young females show more rufous/cinnamon than young males).

> So is everyone ageing their fishers before reporting sexes?

Egads, no!

I and others find it difficult just to get a good enough look to determine if a
given kingfisher has a solitary blue breastband or a blue breastband in
combination with a rufous "belt" and sides. Don't get me wrong: young
kingfishers can be distinguished in the field. For the purposes of this study,
though, I am ignoring age as too "difficult" and simply focusing on sex (ahh,
what a life!).

> Regardless, they're great birds to examine closely so thanks
> to the person that started all this!

Kingfishers are cool, alright, and I'm glad so many Tweeters have taken a
little extra time with them. We've got quite a pile of records accumulating!

--
Scott Richardson
northeast Seattle
salix at halcyon.com

Remember:
Female Belted Kingfishers have a rusty "belt," which the males lack.
Both sexes have a blue breast band.