For some collaborative posts, it appears to be troublesome to seek out writers. For one on kingfishers, it’s not. Unsurprising, given how spectacular lots of them look.
Pied Kingfisher
I like color in birds and kingfishers are a vibrant lot. However, I discover the Pied Kingfisher very natty in its black and white plumage. Not like most kingfishers, that are solitary besides within the breeding season, the Pied lives in household models and roosts collectively. I noticed an instance of that in 2006 after I noticed my lifer Pied Kingfisher in Israel. We had been visiting the Hulah wetlands. A Pied was searching over the water. Whereas it was hovering, one other Pied flew up and poked it. The primary fowl shook it off and stored hovering. The second fowl didn’t quit and moved in once more. It was like watching a bratty sibling pester a busy sibling. Lastly, the searching fowl chased after the opposite one, which was the entire level of the sport. That entertaining interlude is why the Pied Kingfisher is my favourite member of the kingfisher household (Leslie Kinrys).
Stork-billed Kingfisher
There are a dozen species of kingfishers to be discovered on the sub-continent of India: the Stork-billed isn’t the most important (the Crested beats it by a mere 3cm), however it’s arguably probably the most spectacular. It’s not known as Stork-billed for nothing, for it has an enormous coral-red beak. So, too, does the Brown-winged Kingfisher, however the latter is restricted to a tiny space of east India and Bangladesh, whereas the Stork-billed Kingfisher ranges all the way in which from the foothills of the Himalayas to Sri Lanka.
Regionally frequent, this fowl favors deep-shaded lakes and slow-moving rivers and streams. Its liking for shady spots makes it a fowl that’s tough to see, as it should fish patiently for hours in the identical spot, so that you usually tend to hear it than see it. Its name is as loud and unsubtle because the fowl itself, A Information to the Birds of India describes it as an “explosive, shrieking chortle”, which sums it up properly. My {photograph} was taken at Ranganathittu Chicken Sanctuary, a bird-filled 40-acre reserve a brief drive from the town of Mysore, within the southern Indian state of Karnataka. The sanctuary is a well-liked vacation spot so usually crowded with guests, however that signifies that the birds are used to individuals, making them unusually tame and approachable. I famous in my diary that I didn’t see every other guests with binoculars, however the sanctuary was well-kept and litter-free, whereas the kingfisher took completely no discover of the crowds strolling previous (David Tomlinson).
Frequent Kingfisher
A day’s birding could be deemed a hit if a number of issues occur to me in the course of the day. Victory if I see all of the birds I wish to see. This by no means occurs. Glory if I occur to discover a snake as a result of it means I’ve good bushcraft. Or, the final word expertise, the Nirvana for birders: I see a kingfisher. In my yard known as Europe meaning the Frequent Kingfisher.
The phrase “frequent” has been on the sharp finish of my wrath so I’ll restrict myself to explaining why I like and adore this fowl. Kingfishers are lovely, the iridescent blue of its again and the brilliant orange of its chest give the fowl a jewel-like look, a turquoise gemstone with wings. It additionally whizzes previous while you least count on it. On a derelict shipyard, a sea salt packing plant, or in the midst of a busy metropolis park: “weeet!!” and a blue flash. All you’re left with is the unmistakable impression of the fowl and a contented grin in your face (Peter Penning).
Blue-winged Kookaburra
When my buddy V instructed me she noticed Laughing Kookaburras daily whereas rising up in Melbourne, I didn’t fairly imagine her, however I knew I wanted to fowl Australia. Kookaburras are mythic birds, figures in a youngsters’s music, snake killers and bringers of fine luck, as a lot consultant of Australia as Koalas and Kangaroos, however weirder. What sort of kingfisher appears like a top-heavy super-billed cartoon character and appears like a cross between a deranged clown and a jackass? Members of genera Dacelo, that’s who.
There are 5 Kookaburra species, two of that are discovered principally in Australia: Laughing Kookaburra and Blue-winged Kookaburra. Laughing Kookaburra is frequent in jap mainland Australia; it has additionally been launched in southwest Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, reportedly to regulate snakes. Blue-winged Kookaburras are primarily present in north Australia, with a small inhabitants in New Guinea. Not like water-based kingfishers, these terrestrial birds devour creatures massive and small, from damselflies, beetles, and spiders to frogs, lizards, snakes, and infrequently nestlings and small mammals.
The primary Kookaburra I ever noticed was this Blue-Winged Kookaburra in George Brown Darwin Botanical Gardens. It was sitting on high of a big signal as if it owned the place, taking nice pleasure in welcoming us to the High Finish. Though I knew it was a kingfisher, its large head and calm chill, so completely different from the flighty Belted Kingfishers of North America, charmed me and satisfied me that the genus should have mystical origins. (And, certainly, they do make main appearances in Aboriginal tales and their identify is derived from the Wiradjuri phrase for them, Guuguubarra (Donna Schulman).
Laughing Kookaburra
Laughing Kookaburras gave the impression to be in each park and campground I birded in jap Australia. Pull as much as a nature reserve at daybreak, and there’s a Laughing Kookaburra on the doorway signal. Exit Centennial Park in Sydney after nightfall, and there’s a Laughing Kookaburra on a department over the gate. This photograph was taken at a small cemetery outdoors Sydney. Very acceptable, I believed (the Australian flag, not the cemetery half).
The vocalization of the Laughing Kookaburra—it’s chortle–might sound ridiculous or eerie, relying on place, time, and temper. (Blue-winged Kookaburras have an analogous vocalization, however deeper.) The decision was reportedly utilized in early Tarzan films to make viewers really feel like they had been in an unique place. Should you’ve by no means heard a Kookaburra name, I extremely suggest you try the recordings on Xeno Canto. Ornithologically, we all know this can be a territorial vocalization (additionally used with variations for mating and household contact), however there may be folklore connected. One article says that while you hear a Kookaburra ‘chortle’ in the midst of the day (which is uncommon) it means it should rain. Or that there’s a snake about. Or each! Principally the fowl is claimed to be the bearer of fine luck or new beginnings, since it’s heard at daybreak. This may say one thing concerning the Australian spirit as a result of Kookaburras name at daybreak and at nightfall, and imagine me, you actually don’t wish to hear a Kookaburra ‘chortle’ at night time while you’re strolling alone down a darkish, abandoned road (Donna Schulman).
Belted Kingfisher
The Belted Kingfisher is without doubt one of the few birds I’ve been in a position to identify since childhood. An iconic a part of my Maine summers, they chatter wildly whereas flying throughout lakes, ponds, and rivers in pursuit of their subsequent fishy meal. Belted Kingfishers could be noticed throughout North America, ranging north into Canada and Alaska in the summertime and transferring so far as South America within the coldest months. Whereas their populations are estimated at round 1.8 million, they appear to be on the decline, and are in accordance with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology “delicate to disturbance…and should abandon territories if individuals start frequenting the realm” (Erika Zambello).
Amazon Kingfisher
Panama is dwelling to 6 species of kingfishers, every just a little jewel of colour and precision, constructed for all times alongside the waterways. Of those six, I’ve managed to identify three up to now: the Ringed, the Inexperienced, and the Amazon Kingfisher. Whereas all are fascinating in their very own method, it’s the Amazon Kingfisher that has left the deepest impression on me, and never simply because it appears to get pleasure from taunting me with its elusiveness.
A few yr in the past, one in all these vibrant birds determined to maneuver into my neighborhood. It selected a man-made freshwater lake inside our gated neighborhood as its area, which I think about should have appeared like prime actual property for a kingfisher, with loads of fish and few rivals. At first, this new resident was skittish to the acute. It had a large “circle of concern,” darting off on the mere trace of a human determine within the distance. With its eager eyesight, it simply outmaneuvered my makes an attempt to get even a blurry photograph. It was, fairly actually, maintaining me on my toes.
For months, I attempted to outwit this fowl. Each stroll across the lake was an train in persistence and stealth. Lastly, after three months, I captured a half-decent photograph. (Emphasis on “half.”) However one thing magical began occurring as time went on. The Amazon Kingfisher started to settle in, staking its declare on a specific perch that it used as each a lookout and a fishing launchpad. It grew extra accustomed to the people strolling by, even permitting me to method cautiously for a number of pictures.
What started as a irritating sport of hide-and-seek become one thing nearly… mutual. There was belief, a minimum of I prefer to suppose so. It stopped fleeing at my method, content material to carry its perch whereas fixing me with its sharp, calculating gaze. I’d watch because it skimmed the lake’s floor or dove with unimaginable precision to snag its subsequent meal.
Now, a yr and a half into this relationship (if one can name it that), seeing the Amazon Kingfisher has turn out to be one thing I look ahead to. Each time I spot it, whether or not on its perch or zipping over the water, I really feel a way of connection that goes past mere birdwatching.
However as life goes on, change is on the horizon. Quickly, I’ll be transferring to the town full-time, forsaking this quiet oasis and its feathered guardian. Whereas I look ahead to the thrill of metropolis life and its city birding alternatives with its many parks, I can’t assist however really feel a twinge of unhappiness on the considered saying goodbye to this fowl. Over time, it grew to become greater than only a photograph topic, it grew to become a logo of persistence, persistence, and the quiet joys of nature.
After I depart, I’ll carry with me not simply my pictures of this elegant kingfisher but additionally cherished reminiscences of our encounters. In a method, it appears like forsaking a buddy, one who speaks in flashes of inexperienced and orange, in ripples and dives (Fitzroy Rampersand).
Ringed Kingfisher
The statement of Ringed Kingfishers as described by the eminent ornithologist Alexander F. Skutch was a “yogic train within the contemplation of nothingness” – a far cry from the current insta-exercise of noting subject marks or clocking a harsh, rattling name to then announce with confidence: Ringed Kingfisher incoming!
I keep in mind in my very early days birding encountering a Ringed Kingfisher because it accelerated alongside a slingshot-driven trajectory by means of a gap within the foliage above a river, exploding into the empty house above an inland pond. I used to be utterly obsessed with the chestnut underparts and pure white collar. For such a big fowl, it was very skittish – and it took me a while earlier than I used to be in a position to get a good sufficient view of the slate blue plumage that lined the remainder of the fowl I hadn’t but seen. Regardless of its huge dimension, it nonetheless suits the invoice of a kingfisher, with an erect, proud crest and the always-wet look of a scene child from the 90’s (Faraaz Abdool).
Large Kingfisher
The best of nice kingfishers, the Large Kingfisher is totally deserving of its superlative-ridden identify. Utterly dwarfing nearly each different kingfisher on the planet, this huge beast is straight away distinctive in its sub-Saharan dwelling. Other than its dimension, the Large Kingfisher’s distinctive coloration helps to cement it as an “unmistakable” fowl. Or, as the sphere guides like to phrase it: “unlikely to be confused”, because the checklist of enormous, crested, and principally black kingfishers is unsurprisingly brief.
Though many African kingfishers are recognized to feed on terrestrial creatures, the Large Kingfisher retains its desire for fish, supplementing its piscivorous methods with crabs and the occasional frog or toad. Younger kingfishers are fed with fish which might be typically as much as 18cm lengthy. Curiously, the Large Kingfisher is ready to hone in on its goal from a lofty perch that may be a number of meters above the water’s floor. Humbling, particularly seeing that if I lean too far again I received’t have the ability to see some particulars on my laptop computer display screen (Faraaz Abdool).
Woodland Kingfisher
The Woodland Kingfisher, as indicated by its identify, is a key consultant of the avifauna of sub-Saharan African woodlands. When birding in South Africa in spring, I all the time cherished listening to its distinctive trilling name saying the return of this intra-African migrant. The birds unfold their wings when calling, displaying off their wonderful electric-blue again and wings. This was a second I all the time hoped to seize on digicam, however sadly didn’t handle but (Luca Feuerriegel, photograph by Bernard Dupont).
Banded Kingfisher
The male Banded Kingfisher was absolutely the spotlight of a visit to Southern Vietnam, regardless that this location additionally supplied a number of lovely pittas. I assume partly that was as a result of regardless that I briefly noticed the species on Borneo, I solely missed getting a photograph. What provides to the attraction is that other than being completely lovely, it additionally has this bizarre behavior of regularly pumping its crest. And because the female and male have very distinct colours, I’ve a very good justification for displaying two pictures – the male is the blue fowl (Kai Pflug).
Black-capped Kingfisher
There may be one kingfisher species that may simply be seen in Shanghai – the Frequent Kingfisher. There may be one which takes a bit extra effort and luck – the Pied Kingfisher. Each have already been described above. That leaves one that’s uncommon and laborious to see (and likewise listed as Weak) – the Black-capped Kingfisher. And it’s even tougher to get a good photograph, because the fowl takes a dim view on being approached by people. I do too, typically, so I perceive (Kai Pflug).
Malachite Kingfisher
It was one of many Botswana Chicken Membership tenting weekends, this time by the banks of the Limpopo River. There wasn’t a lot water in it, a puddle right here and a pond there, in any other case the underside was principally dry – a lot in order that we walked throughout it, to verify birds on the South African financial institution (ought to I add, I did it with out a passport or a visa). We had been strolling by means of Marico bushveld (a kind of savanna habitat) however, utilizing crutches, I used to be slowly falling behind, till I noticed a big tree trunk mendacity by the financial institution and ready for me to relaxation on it. By the other financial institution, beneath the protruding acacia roots, there was a puddle, and a Striated Heron wanting straight down – I imagine it was a lifer to me. However the subsequent fowl definitively was a lifer! A number of moments later a stunning Malachite Kingfisher appeared, with its shiny crimson beak, much more good-looking than my Frequent Kingfisher again dwelling. And I sat there having fun with my first Malachite King. 1 / 4 of a century older, I nonetheless keep in mind that youthful scene. What have I finished with that quarter? Scared of this factor that I’ve turn out to be, I bless the rains down in Africa … (Dragan Simic).