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Kingfisher
Length:20 – 36 cm. (depending on the species)
Weight:9 – 12 g.

KingFisher

Alcedinidae / Halcyonidae

Description:
There are 12 species of kingfishers in Khao Sok National Park. The feathers of these species vary greatly in color with the most famous ones being bright blue and rusty red. Kingfishers are about 17 – 35 cm in size (depending on the species). Most of these birds are classified as ‘lower risk, least concern’, except for the Rufous­collared Kingfisher which is ‘lower risk, near threatened’ on the IUCN Red list.

Did you know...?

… that the brilliant blue color of the kingfisher’s feathers doesn’t result from pigments? In fact, it is a result of the special structure of its feathers, reflecting only blue light.

Diet:
The diet of kingfishers consists mostly of fish, crabs, frogs, and insects. They catch and carry their prey in the middle of its body, before swallowing it with the head first. As long as prey is small enough it can be swallowed in one go. Apart from this, kingfishers beat larger fish on branches as a way of preparing their food.

Habitat:
Kingfishers live close to rivers in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.

Reproduction:
The kingfisher does not build a nest but finds nesting places in tree­holes or by digging holes in river banks. Occasionally a kingfisher might even nest in an arboreal termites’ nest. Clutches consist of 2 to 7 eggs (depending on the species). Female and male kingfishers breed together taking turns, although they spend the rest of the year apart from each other. Young kingfishers usually fledge three to eight weeks after hatching.

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