Kingfisher Facts

The kingfisher is a small and medium bird belonging to the kingfisher family. According to some classification systems there are 87 species of kingfishers, which can be divided into three categories (or three separate families): River Kingfisher, Tree Kingfisher, and Water Kingfisher. These birds are the most diverse species in the tropics and can be seen all over the world. Kingfishers live in lowland freshwater areas, estuaries and streams, lakes, swamps and ponds. The kingfishers that were in glass cupboards were preserved as Victorian era ornaments and their feathers were used to decorate hats. It is difficult to kill today's kingfisher, but due to the habitat reduction and the introduction of new species many species are classified as endangered species.

The kingfisher has big head, long, sharp, dragged like dagger, strong body, short leg and short tail. The shovel kookaburra is a kingfisher with a hoe like a big shovel which is used to excavate prey from the soil.

The kingfisher has an excellent vision to easily discover the prey. It has fast and direct flights, but it can also float on the water while looking for and hunting food.

The kingfisher is a carnivore. That meal is based on fish, crayfish, frogs and snails. In winter, it usually consumes 15 to 16 small fish per day.

Despite its name, wood kingfishers do not eat fish. They live in forest areas and hunt and eat insects and other arthropods.

Cross-matching couples are usually formed in autumn, but they live in different areas till spring, when they gather to build nests and breeds

The kingfisher makes a cave (nest) of 3 to 8 feet at the edge of the stream and lakeside. Some of the kingfisher's seeds lay their eggs in the sky holes of trees and even the abandoned termites' nests.

The kingfisher produces two to three bladders a year. The average clutch size is 3 to 6 (up to 10) eggs. Both parents will participate in egg hatching within 3 to 4 weeks. Young birds depend on parents for 3-4 months

The smallest species of kingfisher is the dwarf kingfisher of Africa with an average weight of 10.4 grams and a length of only 10 cm (4 inches). The biggest species of kingfisher is the gigantic kingfisher, which is 35 cm (13.5 ounce) on average and it is 45 cm (18 inch). However, since the adult Australian kingfiswer over 450 grams is common, the familiar Australian kingfisher, Laughing Kingfisher, is probably the heaviest kingfisher's species. Kingfishers make nests in caves and caves of trees and are located on the banks of the river and on both sides of the lake. The kingfishers at the end of the small tunnel digging the nest. The length depends on species. It is well known that huge kingfishers dig a tunnel over 8 meters in length! Female kingfisher can produce ten eggs (usually less), but male and female kingfishers help to hatch eggs for 3-4 weeks.

The kingfisher does not make nests or plants. Instead, they nest in a dug in the soil, a hole in a tree, or a cave digging into an ancient termite's mound. Men and women cooperate to make a cave and dig into the ground with their own feet. It will take 3-7 days for the cave to be completed. The record is a 5 meter (28 ft) cave dug by a pair of huge kingfishers, but it is usually tilted to avoid about 1 to 2 meters (3 to 5 feet) in length. Many species are deemed to be threatened by human activities and are at risk of extinction. Most of them are forest species with limited distribution, especially island species. They are threatened by loss of habitat due to deforestation and degradation of forests and in some cases threatened by the introduced species