How did ancestral kingfishers reach the New World?

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yellow-billed hornbill — Coraciiform Yellow-billed hornbill (*Tockus leucomelas*).

Ancestral kingfisher stock reached the New World by migrating via the Bering Strait.1

This early arrival of ancestral stock is believed to have given rise to the motmots of Central and South America and the todies of the West Indies. At a later time, a specialized branch of kingfishers that fed on fish also colonized the New World, eventually evolving into various species across the Nearctic and Neotropical regions.1