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The nest is in a burrow excavated by both birds of the pair in a low vertical riverbank, or sometimes a quarry or other cutting. The straight, gently inclining burrow is normally 60–90 cm (25–35 in) long and ends in an enlarged chamber. [8] The nest cavity is unlined but soon accumulates a litter of fish remains and cast pellets. [13]
Kingfishers usually hunt from an exposed perch; when a prey item is observed, the kingfisher swoops down to snatch it, then returns to the perch. Kingfishers of all three families beat larger prey against a perch to kill the prey and to dislodge or break protective spines and bones. Having beaten the prey, it is manipulated and then swallowed. [14]
The nest building begins with both birds flying into a suitable mud wall until an indentation is made where they can find a perch hold. They subsequently perch and continue digging the nest with their bills. Nest tunnels in a haystack have also been recorded. [21] A single clutch of 4–7 round white eggs is typical. The eggs take 20–22 days ...
Nest holes may sometimes be used for roosting. [15] In 1947, British zoologist Hugh B. Cott noticed while skinning birds that hornets were attracted to certain birds but avoided the flesh of pied kingfishers. This led to a comparative study of edibility of birds and he suggested that more conspicuously plumaged birds may be less palatable.
Tree kingfishers are monogamous and territorial, although some species, including three kookaburras, have a cooperative breeding system involving young from earlier broods. The nest is a tree hole, either natural, and old woodpecker nest, or excavated in soft or rotting wood by the kingfishers. Several species dig holes in termite nests. No ...
Most species of paradise kingfishers are commonly observed in their natural habitat within the interior forests of New Guinea. [7] However, the species itself has been known to be attracted to rivers and coasts and they demonstrate an ability to fly over large bodies of water, which is observed in the Buff-Breasted paradise kingfisher that migrates to Queensland, Australia during breeding ...
This is largely an Old World order, with the representation in the New World limited to the dozen or so species of todies and motmots, and a mere handful of the more than a hundred species of kingfishers. The name Coraciiformes means "raven-like". Specifically, it comes from the Latin language "corax", meaning "raven" and Latin "forma", meaning ...
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 ...