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The sacred kingfisher feeds on a wide variety of invertebrates (particularly insects bugs and spiders), small crustaceans, fish (infrequently), frogs, small rodents and reptiles, [13] and there are a few reports of them eating finches and other small birds. Usually, the sacred kingfisher will sit on a low branch and wait for prey to pass by.
The largest kingfisher in Africa is the giant kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima), which is 42 to 46 cm (17 to 18 in) in length and 255–426 g (9.0–15.0 oz) in weight. [17] The common Australian kingfisher, known as the laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae), is the heaviest species, with females reaching nearly 500 g (18 oz) in weight. [18]
Blue Winged kookaburra - Berry Springs - Northern Territory - Australia. The blue-winged kookaburra was first collected by Sir Joseph Banks in 1770, but was initially overlooked and confused with the laughing kookaburra, and was finally officially described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1826, its specific name commemorating British zoologist William Elford Leach. [2]
A 38¢ (equivalent to $0.84 in 2022) [21] Australian stamp issued in 1990 features a pair of kookaburras. [22] An international $1.70 (equivalent to $2.09 in 2022) [21] Australian stamp featuring an illustrated kookaburra was released in 2013. A $1.10 (equivalent to $1.21 in 2022) [21] laughing kookaburra stamp issued in 2020.
The laughing kookaburra is the largest species of kingfisher, outsizing even the giant kingfisher in body mass. [ 6 ] [ 29 ] It is a stout, stocky bird 41–47 cm (16–19 in) in length, with a large head, prominent brown eyes, and a long and robust bill. [ 2 ]
The red-backed kingfisher is native to most of Australia, except Tasmania and the extreme southwest and southeast of the mainland. [8] It is a summer visitor to the southeast of the country; elsewhere it is resident all year round. [9] It inhabits dry forests, mulga and mallee country, to spinifex and almost treeless country, often far from ...
Buff-breasted paradise kingfisher nest in termite mound, Cairns, Jan 2021. In Australia nests are made in termite mounds of Microcerotermes serratus on the ground. Nests have also been recorded in mounds attached to living trees with the bases 1.5–3 m (4.9–9.8 ft) above the ground. The kingfishers use termitaria on the ground as well as in ...
The forest kingfisher (Todiramphus macleayii), also known as Macleay's or the blue kingfisher, is a species of kingfisher in the subfamily Halcyoninae, also known as tree kingfishers. It is a predominantly blue and white bird. It is found in Indonesia, New Guinea and coastal eastern and Northern Australia. Like many other kingfishers, it hunts ...