This Belted Kingfisher was just doing what it had to do to eat some dinner. Fortunately for us, there was a camera there to get it all on tape.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Nature is Metal” before, right? It’s just another way of saying that, while the outdoors is a truly beautiful place, sometimes ugly things are necessary for survival. Food isn’t served up on a pretty plate out in the wild. Animals have to fend for themselves out there.
And yes, sometimes that means bopping a crawfish on the head over and over and over again.
The focus of the video below is a female Belted Kingfisher. They are common throughout much of the United States, and they are actually probably heard more often than they are spotted (or at least before they are spotted). Their call is often described as a “loud rattle,” and as you’ll see in the video below, pretty much anything they do comes with a bit of noise.
Kingfishers tend to stick to an aquatic diet, using their straight and sturdy bill to capture fish and crawdads (also called crayfish or crawfish). This video showcases the process a Belted Kingfisher goes through after it snatches up a crawdad… and it typically involves slamming it up against something.
Hitting their food into things is actually a common practice for a number of birds. Whether they are trying to stun and/or kill their prey, or they need to break the hard exterior of something, birds know that some good, old-fashioned bashing will do the trick. In this case, the Kingfisher that was perched just in front of the camera was attempting to stun its prey while also cracking open its shell.
Two tasks with one bird, as they say (they actually say something else).
The crawfish in the grips of the Kingfisher’s beak was trying to fight back and evade, but there wasn’t much it could do. It was officially dinner time, and unfortunately for the crustacean, it was the main dish. Swamp Creek Wildlife, which is based out of Washington state, shared the video… and it’s quickly gotten a lot of attention online. Because who wouldn’t want to see a unique looking bird trying to snap open its seafood dinner in a rather aggressive and barbaric manner?
Check it out:
“Female Belted Kingfisher whacking the living daylights out of a crayfish/crawfish/crawdad (depending on what you call them). Recorded September 18, 2026 using a Ceyomur CY95 trail camera.”
Looks like me trying to crack the crab legs open at the all-you-can-eat seafood buffet.
What a cool video, eh? And all joking aside, I’m worried that I’m already approaching the age where birds and birdwatching soar up my list of priorities. This video made me say out loud, “Man I’d love to get out and see a Kingfisher in the wild.” Is that a bad thing? No it’s not. But does that means I’m getting old enough to where bird watching is my new, relaxing hobby?
It very well could… and I’m scared.
