Kingfishers are masters of the fishing art. They have a spear like bill that is perfectly suited for impaling fish.
The kingfishers are generally fish-eating birds, but the Kookaburra kingfisher of Australia eats snails, worms, lizards, frogs and snakes.
Kingfishers are found along the shores of rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs. Some of them venture into the seas for offshore hunting. The kingfisher will sit on a tree branch and launch itself or dive to pursue its fish diet. On spotting a fish, the bird will exhibit its remarkable agility and use its beak to hit the prey in seconds. The Pied kingfisher of Africa hunts by hovering over the waters. Its shooting dive is a photographer’s delight.
Courtship in kingfishers involves feeding of the female by the male. This happens after a male and a female have paired and mated. The male Malachite Kingfisher presents his female partner with a fish after mating is over. The male will catch a fish, lift his bill up and land in front of his mate and offer the gift to her. This behavior enhances pair bonding between the two before a nest is built and eggs laid.
Kingfishers are tunnel nesters. The bird builds a tunnel nest in a riverbank. It makes an indentation first on the ground with its bill. It then shovels the loose soil with its feet until a tunnel is formed. The tunnel is just the diameter of the bird extending three to four feet long, ending in a wide chamber. The kingfisher lays eggs in the chamber on a pile of fish bones that act as a cushion. The bird fills the tunnel with rotting fish and foul smelling debris to keep off the predators.
The kingfisher is a good teacher in training its young. The Belted kingfisher catches a fish and beats it on the ground until it is stunned. Then it drops the fish into the waters. The young chicks that assemble at the shore will attempt to retrieve the fish from the waters. The parent bird does this several times until it is satisfied that the chicks are independent and can fend for themselves.
Kingfishers are beautiful birds with plumage of several colors and hues. They are small birds with their long and sharp bills with serious looks. The smallest kingfisher is the African dwarf kingfisher weighing just 9 grams while the biggest is the Australian Laughing Kookaburra weighing nearly 500 grams.
|
