“The river is such a tranquil place, a place to sit and think of romance and the beauty of nature, to enjoy the elegance of swans and the chance of a glimpse of a kingfisher.”—Jane Wilson-Howarth

Kingfishers are small bright blue and metallic copper coloured birds which are commonly found flying rapidly over slow moving or still waters. They mainly hunt fish and aquatic insects such as minnows, sticklebacks, freshwater shrimps and tadpoles by hovering above the surface of water. An interesting fact is that they fish blind by closing their eyes as they dive into the water. To judge the depth of the fish they bobble their heads before diving. The anatomy of a kingfisher’s beak is aerodynamically shaped which allows it to dive from its perch towards its prey with maximum speed and minimum splash. The beak design is so efficient that the front of many Japanese bullet trains are modelled in a similar manner.

A kingfisher pair breed during spring. They nest in burrows along soft riverbanks. The end of the nest chamber has a slight depression to prevent the eggs from rolling out. The first clutch of 6-7 eggs is laid in late March or in early April. Chicks are fed in rotation and a chick can eat around 12-18 fish a day. Once a chick is fed, it moves to the back of the nest to digest its meal, letting the others move forward. When out of the nest, the young are fed for only four days before the adults drive them out of the territory and start the next brood. During the breeding season, 2-3 broods are often raised.

Kingfishers are vulnerable species due to their low breeding number and habitat loss. These exotic birds die mainly of cold or lack of food during severe winters. River pollution has also resulted in their population decline.

A tryst with nature #kingfisher