Sacred Kingfisher
Wurruma Swamp, June 2021.
Sometimes I cannot get close enough to a bird to clearly see what it is. That was the case this day and it was not until I got home that I thought this was the first photo I have taken of a Torresian Kingfisher. Then Steve Potter from Bird Tours SA kindly let me know that it is not a Torresian but a Sacred Kingfisher.
I really appreciate it when people correct my errors with birds. I struggle to identify them at times. Egrets in particular.
Wurruma Swamp, June 2023.
These birds are 190-220mm in size and both sexes look similar. Females are whiter in the underparts and greener in the upper parts . I have been trying get this bird off my “to get first photos off “ list for quite a while now.
Wurruma Swamp, June 2023.
The crown is turquoise green and the wings turquoise blue. There is a beige spot before the dark eyes with a black eye stripe.
Wurruma Swamp, June 2023.
The nape has a broad white collar and the underparts are light beige to white.
They are a solitary bird that hunts from low branches returning to the same spot to eat whatever it hawks. On the menu is small reptiles, insects, beetles and crustaceans. They rarely eat fish.
Often found in mangroves and open wooded areas. They nest in excavated aborted termite mounds, steep riverbanks or a hollow limb. Breeding is from September to March laying 3-6 eggs