Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus, 1758)

A large kingfisher with a bright blue back, chestnut head and a large red bill. The throat and breast are white.

The most common kingfisher, seen both near and far from water. It has a deep brown head, neck and underparts, but the throat and breast fonn a conspicuous white ‘shirt front’. Its upperparts are a brilliant turquoise-blue, and very prominent in flight. Its red bill is long, heavy and pointed. It can be found at most freshwater wetlands, cultivated and forested land, and near habitation, though it is rarely seen on the Hill. It is usually alone or in separated pairs, and often perches on telegraph wires and posts, from which it flies down to pounce on its prey. It feeds on fish, tadpoles, lizards, insects, and occasionally young birds or mice. It has a loud cackling call, usually uttered in flight, and a loud, repeated chattering song delivered from the top of a tree or some other high perch.

The season ranges principally between March and July. The nest tunnel, as with other kinglishers, is dug horizontally into the side of an earth cutting or bank. It is about 2.5 inches in diameter and often up to or 7 feet long, terminating in a spacious egg-chamber 8 or 9 inches across. The normal clutch consists of four to seven eggs white and spherical. Both sexes share in excavating the nest-tunnel, incubation (?) and feeding the young.

Between the Myna and the Pigeon.

A brilliant turquoise blue kingfisher with deep chocolate- brown head, neck and underparts, a conspicuous white ' shirt front ' and long, heavy, pointed red bill. A white wing-patch noticeable in llight. Sexes alike.

This is perhaps the most familiar of our kingfishers. It is usually met with singly in the neighbourhood of inundated paddy-fields, ponds-, puddles, kutcha wells and on the sandy seashore, both near and away from human habitations. But it is by no means so closely dependent on the presence of water for its sustenance as its other relatives are. frequently it may be found considerable distances awav from it, right in the midst of forest where it feeds on earthworms, lizards, grasshoppers and other insects occasionally even capturing mice and young birds, from a favourite perch on some bare branch or telegraph wire, which it occupies day after day and whence it can survey the country around, the bird hurls itself down on creeping prey and flies off with it to another perch nearby where the victim is battered and swallowed. Its call or ' song ' is a loud, not. unmusical, chattering scream uttered from the top of a tall tree or some other exposed situation. It ends in a detached harsh undertone like the 'pench' of a snipe, audible only at short range. Besides this it has a loud cackling call usually uttered in flight.

Occurs at ponds, puddles, rain filled ditches, inundated paddy fields and near the seashore, but also in lightforest at considerable distances from water.

Singly, in cultivated and wooded country" both near and away from water.

IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1