Saturday, April 30, 2011
Kingfisher: Kingfisher: Kingfisher
Kingfisher: Kingfisher: Kingfisher: "Kingfisher: Kingfisher : HyperSmash 'The Kingfisher is a small bird with a very short and sweet tail but has large head and long dagger-li..."
List of species in taxonomic order
- Genus Lacedo
- Banded Kingfisher, Lacedo pulchella
- Genus Dacelo, kookaburras
- Laughing Kookaburra, Dacelo novaeguineae
- Blue-winged Kookaburra, Dacelo leachii
- Spangled Kookaburra, Dacelo tyro
- Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Dacelo gaudichaud
- Genus Clytoceyx
- Shovel-billed Kookaburra, Clytoceyx rex
- Genus Cittura
- Lilac Kingfisher, Cittura cyanotis
- Genus Pelargopsis
- Brown-winged Kingfisher, Pelargopsis amauropterus
- Stork-billed Kingfisher, Pelargopsis capensis
- Great-billed Kingfisher, Pelargopsis melanorhyncha
- Genus Halcyon
- Ruddy Kingfisher, Halcyon coromanda
- Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Halcyon badia
- White-throated Kingfisher, Halcyon smyrnensis
- Grey-headed Kingfisher, Halcyon leucocephala
- Black-capped Kingfisher, Halcyon pileata
- Javan Kingfisher, Halcyon cyanoventris
- Woodland Kingfisher, Halcyon senegalensis
- Mangrove Kingfisher, Halcyon senegaloides
- Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Halcyon malimbica
- Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Halcyon albiventris
- Striped Kingfisher, Halcyon chelicuti
Genus Todirhamphus
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- Blue-black Kingfisher, Todirhamphus nigrocyaneus
- Winchell's Kingfisher, Todirhamphus winchelli
- Blue-and-white Kingfisher,Todirhamphus diops
- Lazuli Kingfisher, Todirhamphus lazuli
- Forest Kingfisher, Todirhamphus macleayii
- White-mantled Kingfisher,Todirhamphus albonotatus
- Ultramarine Kingfisher,Todirhamphus leucopygius
- Vanuatu Kingfisher, Todirhamphus farquhari
- Red-backed Kingfisher,Todirhamphus pyrrhopygia
- Flat-billed Kingfisher, Todirhamphus recurvirostris
- Micronesian Kingfisher,Todirhamphus cinnamominus
- Collared Kingfisher, Todirhamphus chloris
- Sombre Kingfisher, Todirhamphus funebris
- Talaud Kingfisher, Todirhamphus enigma
- Beach Kingfisher, Todirhamphus saurophaga
- Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher,Todirhamphus australasia
- Sacred Kingfisher, Todirhamphus sanctus
- Society Kingfisher, Todirhamphus veneratus
- Mewing Kingfisher, Todirhamphus ruficollaris
- Chattering Kingfisher, Todirhamphus tuta
- Marquesan Kingfisher, Todirhamphus godeffroyi
- Tuamotu Kingfisher, Todirhamphus gambieri
- Genus Caridonax
- Glittering Kingfisher, Caridonax fulgidus
- Genus Melidora
- Hook-billed Kingfisher, Melidora macrorrhina
- Genus Actenoides
- Moustached Kingfisher, Actenoides bougainvillei
- Rufous-collared Kingfisher,Actenoides concretus
- Spotted Wood Kingfisher, Actenoides lindsayi
- Hombron's Kingfisher, Actenoides hombroni
- Green-backed Kingfisher, Actenoides monachus
- Scaly-breasted Kingfisher,Actenoides princeps
- Genus Syma
- Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Syma torotoro
- Mountain Kingfisher, Syma megarhyncha
Kingfisher: Tree Kingfishers or Wood Kingfishers
Kingfisher: Tree Kingfishers or Wood Kingfishers: "The tree kingfishers or wood kingfishers , family Halcyonidae , are the most numerous of the three families of birds in the kingfisher..."
Tree Kingfishers or Wood Kingfishers
The tree kingfishers or wood kingfishers, family Halcyonidae, are the most numerous of the three families of birds in the kingfisher group, with between 56 and 61 species in around 12 genera, including several species of kookaburras.
The family appears to have arisen in Indochina and the Maritime Southeast Asia and then spread to many areas around the world. Tree kingfishers are widespread through Asia and Australasia, but also appear in Africa and the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, utilising a range of habitats from tropical rainforest to open woodlands.
The tree kingfishers are short-tailed large-headed compact birds with long pointed bills. Like other Coraciiformes, they are brightly coloured.
Most are monogamous and territorial, nesting in holes in trees or termite nests. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.
Although some tree kingfishers frequent wetlands, none are specialist fish-eaters. Most species a dive onto prey from a perch, mainly taking slow moving invertebrates or small vertebrates..
Friday, April 29, 2011
Laughing Kookaburra
According to an Aboriginal legend, the kookaburra's famous chorus of laughter every morning is a signal for the sky people to light the great fire that illuminates and warms the earth by day. The legend captures the imagination, but the true function of the familiar cacophony is to advertise the territory of this bold bird. The Laughing Kookaburra is the largest of the kingfisher family, but unlike most of its relatives, it is sedentary and occupies the same territories the year round. Before spring breeding season, when family groups adjust their boundaries, an observer can actually locate the territories by listening to the noisy choruses at dusk as each group calls in turn and awaits the replies of neighbouring groups.
Habitat
Laughing Kookaburras live in woodlands and open forests. They do not need free water to exist and occur in almost any part of eastern Australia with trees big enough to contain their nests and open patches sufficient to provide hunting grounds. You can see Laughing Kookaburra north of Cape York Peninsula, inland to western fringes of Great Diving Ranges and southwest to Eyre Peninsula.
Diet
Kookaburras are not particularly selective feeders - their diet of snakes, lizards, rodents and the odd small bird is probably best known, but they live mainly on various insects and other invertebrates. Their method of hunting, perch and pounce, is typical of kingfishers. The bulky birds settle motionless on a vantage point staring fixedly at the ground below. Sighting prey, they flutter down on to it, seize it in the bill, and fly back to a perch to eat it.
Breeding
Laughing Kookaburras birth rate is low to keep pace with their longevity, and the population turnover is slow. Kookaburras form permanent pairs and take so long to rear their young to independence that more than one clutch a season is unlikely. Instead of being forced out of the territories on reaching maturity, most young stay to help parents defend the boundaries and rear/protect further offspring. Their nesting season starts in September and finishes in January. They nest a large cavity in almost any object big enough to contain an adult, usually a hole in a tree or termite mound. Incubation begins with the first egg laid of up to four. Incubation and feeding of young is carried out by all members of the group.
Bird Call
A very family orientated species the Laughing Kookaburra has a very long history in Australia with several stories and Aboriginal legends stemming from the daily early morning chorus of this species. Many tribes believed that the call of the Kookaburra on dawn was a signal to the sky gods to light the great fire in the sky that illuminates and warms the earth by day. Actually used more as a territorial marker, the call of the Kookaburra is one of those unmistakable sounds of the Australian bush that will definitely give your ears a workout morning and afternoon.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Quick Facts
| Number in Britain | Conservation Status UK | Status in UK | Length | Wingspan | Weight | Habitat | First Record |
| 11,400 | Amber | Migrant/Resident Breeder | 16 cm | 25cm | 40g | Rivers, marshes, lakes, seacoasts | 8th Century |
| Egg Size | Egg Weight | Clutch Size | Incubation | Fledging | Number of broods | First clutches laid | Age at First Breeding | Maximum Recorded Age |
22x19 mm | 4.3g | 5-7 eggs | 21-21 days | 23-26 days | 1 or 2 | Late April | 1 year | 4y6m |
The Kingfishers dig burrows in the river banks, digging with their beaks and push the dirt out of the burrows with their feet.They have long beaks, short legs and small feeble feet.
The average lifespan is 15 years.
The nest fills with fish bones, droppings and pellets, making the Kingfisher one of the most unhygienic birds.
Numerous young Kingfishers die by drowning when they first fledge. Because of the high death rate, pairs usually have two or three broods a year, with as many as 10 in a brood.
A Kingfisher needs to eat at least 16 minnows a day to survive the winter.
As many as 90% of Kingfishers die in a severe winter.
They also eat many aquatic insects.
There are 90 different species of Kingfisher although only one breeds in Europe .
Many of the Kingfishers never eat fish or go near water.Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Kingfisher habbits !!
The kingfisher bird is a fishing bird, whose population is decreasing, according to Allaboutbirds.org. There are several different species of kingfisher birds. Most of them live in tropical areas, which means that they don't have to face winter conditions that hinder the hunt for food.
Setting
Belted kingfisher birds live in areas with bodies of water such as lakes, ponds and wetlands, according to Wild-bird-watching.com. They are commonly seen throughout North America , according to Allaboutbirds.org. During the winter they are more commonly found along the coast, and by streams and lakes, according to Allaboutbirds.org.
Food
Kingfisher birds feed off of the food they find in and around their natural habitats, which is mostly small fish. They commonly eat tadpoles, frogs and insects, according to Wild-bird-watching.com.
Fishing
They fish by perching above the water and then plunging head-first into the water to capture food, according to Allaboutbirds.org. Adult birds teach their young how to hunt food for themselves by dropping dead food into waters so that their offspring can catch them, according to Allaboutbirds.org.
Migration
Most kingfisher birds migrate south for the winter, but some males stay behind, according to the University of Massachusetts
Breeding
When kingfisher birds are in breeding season they defend their territory against other birds in couples, according to Allaboutbirds.org. The areas where kingfisher birds can breed have expanded by human activity such as building gravel pits, which helps by creating nesting sites, according to Allaboutbirds.org.
Nests
Both the male and female kingfisher birds help to construct the nests, according to Wild-bird-watching.com. The male sticks with the female throughout the construction of the nest, the incubation of the eggs and the raising of their offspring, according to Wild-bird-watching.com. The nests are built by the birds digging a tunnel close by where they fish. The tunnel allows the eggs to be in total darkness. Nests are usually built in eroding banks.
Kingfisher: Green Kingfisher
Kingfisher: Green Kingfisher: "This type of Kingfisher is a beautiful olive green bird that can be found in southern Texas in the United States and south throughout Centr..."
Green Kingfisher
Monday, April 25, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Kingfisher: Kingfisher
Kingfisher: Kingfisher: HyperSmash "The Kingfisher is a small bird with a very short and sweet tail but has large head and long dagger-like bill. Its plumage is beautifull..."
Kingfisher
The Kingfisher is a small bird with a very short and sweet tail but has large head and long dagger-like bill.
Its plumage is beautifully bright.. the back and tail are iridescent electric blue, the crown and wings are greenish blue. The underparts and cheeks are an orange-red, and the throat and collar are white. The legs are red.
The sexes are very similar, the main difference being the colour of the lower mandible: the male's bill is all black..
The female's is black with red on the lower mandible.
Juveniles are similar to adults, but the plumage is duller and greener and the tip of the bill is white.There are roughly 90 species of kingfisher. All have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with little differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests.
VOICE
There is much dispute as to whether Kingfishers have a song. Whether or not they do, the commonest call is a shrill whistle "chi-keeeee".
Nesting
The nest is usually in a tunnel, 30-90 cm (12-36") long, in a bank next to slow-moving water. The tunnel is excavated by both sexes and is not lined with any material.
The eggs are white, smooth and glossy, and are almost round at 23 mm by 20 mm. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs, and both adults feed the young.
Conservation
Kingfishers have returned to many once polluted rivers in industrial towns and cities. Despite this, pollution remains a threat, and the Kingfisher remains an amber listed species of conservation concern.
Behaviour
The kingfishers feed on a wide variety of items. They are most famous for hunting and eating fish, and some species do specialise in catching fish, but other species take crustaceans, frogs and other amphibians, annelid worms, molluscs, insects, spiders, centipedes..
Relationship with humans
Kingfishers are generally shy birds, but in spite of this they feature heavily in human culture, generally due to their bright plumage or in some species interesting behaviour.
The White-throated Kingfishers do not live in communities. White-throated Kingfishers hunt alone, but they may perch as close as 100 m apart without showing much hostility. They eat a wide range of food, and are indigenous to Singapore.
the kingfisher is a skillful bird which catches fish.
It is also a colourful bird.The kingfisher flaps straight into his home,a nest it builds by tunneling into the side of a side of a bank.It lays
its eggs at the end of the tunnel.
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