OUR INSPIRATION
There’s nothing more ILLINOIS than a Belted Kingfisher.
Innovation: Kingfishers are the birds of innovation; when engineers needed to design the bullet train, they used a kingfisher’s beak as inspiration for streamlined efficiency.
Community: Kingfishers are perfect symbols for community, as they have True to the Orange & Blue cousins in all corners of the globe. Everyone is welcome!
Momentum: You want to see momentum? Kingfishers can fly up to 45 mph (72 km/h), spear their prey before bashing it against rocks and swallowing it whole.
A NATIVE BIRD
The Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) is the only kingfisher (out of nearly 100 species worldwide) that is native to the Midwest. In fact, they can be spotted year-round fishing right here in Champaign County’s lakes and rivers!
A POWERHOUSE
- Belted Kingfishers are fast and brutal, diving at speeds of up to 45 mph to slam their prey into rocks before swallowing them whole.
- Belted Kingfishers exhibit amazing strength; they can dig nests into cliffsides up to 8 feet deep!
- Belted Kingfishers aren’t just your average songbird; with a wingspan of 19″-22″, they take to the skies in energetic flight!
- Belted Kingfishers will fiercely defend their territory from other animals and rival birds. What better representation can there be of our Illinois athletes?
OTHER FUN FACTS
- Only the female Belted Kingfisher has an orange band.
- Belted Kingfisher fossils, found all over North America, date back nearly 600,000 years.
- While native to Illinois, Belted Kingfishers travel all over the world, just like our students and alumni! They can even be found in the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, the British Isles, the Azores, Iceland, Greenland, and the Netherlands.
- No other college in the United States uses a kingfisher as a mascot, meaning it would be entirely our own!