The Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) is a small, dark green kingfisher found along quiet streams, rivers, and wetlands from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, and much of South America, distinguished by its glossy dark green upperparts speckled with white spots, a white collar, and a white underside marked with a broad rufous breast band in males or greenish spotted bands across the breast in females. Unlike its larger relatives, it is a compact and often unobtrusive bird, typically seen perched low over the water on branches, roots, or rocks, where it watches intently before plunging in a quick, direct dive to snatch small fish, aquatic insects, and crustaceans. It tends to be shy and easily overlooked, often detected first by its sharp, high-pitched "tick" call as it flies low and fast over the water surface. Green Kingfishers nest in burrows they excavate into earthen banks along waterways, tunneling several feet deep to a nesting chamber, and while they are the smallest kingfisher in much of their range, they remain widespread and fairly common, thriving wherever clean, slow-moving freshwater habitats with suitable fish populations persist.