The sacred kingfisher, scientific name Todiramphus sanctus is a medium-sized woodland kingfisher that happens in mangroves, woodlands, forests, and river valleys in Australia, New Zealand, and different elements of the western Pacific. In New Zealand, the species is often known as kotare, derived from the Māori kōtare.
Sacred kingfisher facts
In this article, I am going to tell about the sacred kingfisher call, NZ, Australia, diet, facts, baby, habitat, spiritual meaning, etc.
Though sacred kingfisher is a species of kingfisher, Sacred Kingfishers seldom eat fish. As an alternative, they often hunt terrestrial prey, principally taking bugs, however, they will even eat all kinds of different small animals, each vertebrate and invertebrate.
These meals gadgets are mostly taken on the bottom, with the kingfisher swiftly swooping or pouncing down from a department or another elevated perch onto the prey, generally taking it without a touchdown. The meals are then often introduced again to the perch, the place it’s eaten.
It’s known as “sacred” for it was mentioned to be a holy fowl for Polynesians,[3] who believed it to have management over the waves.
Likewise, the native subspecies of collared kingfisher and different kingfishers within the southwestern Pacific have been ascribed venerable energy over the ocean.
Sacred kingfisher Description
The sacred kingfisher is a medium-sized kingfisher, measuring 20–23 cm (7.9–9.1 in) long. Males weigh 28–61 g (1.0–2.2 oz) and females 28–56 g (1.0–2.Zero oz).
They’re principally blue-green to turquoise above, with white underparts and collar feathers, black masks, and buff lores.
Each sex is related, however, females are often greener, duller, and fewer buff beneath. Juveniles have a buff or mottled brown edges on the collar, underparts, and upper-wing coverts.
Sacred kingfisher has a turquoise blue rump and tail, buff-white underparts, and a broad cream collar.
There’s a broad black eye stripe extending from bill to nape of the neck. Each sex is related, though the feminine is usually lighter with duller higher elements.
Younger Sacred kingfisher birds are much like the feminine, however, have various quantities of rusty-brown edging to feathers on the collar and underparts, and buff edges on the wing coverts.
Distribution and habitat
Sacred kingfishers are present in Australia, New Zealand, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, New Guinea, jap Indonesia, a lot of northern and western Melanesia, and the Kermadec Islands.
This species breeds all through a lot of Australia (besides the dry inside), New Zealand, New Caledonia, and regionally, New Guinea.
Populations within the southern two-thirds of Australia migrate northwards on the finish of the breeding season to New Guinea, east to the jap Solomon Islands and west to Indonesia turning into unusual to very sparse westwards to Sumatra. Birds transfer south once more to Australia in August and September.
It has additionally occurred as a vagrant on Christmas Island (within the Indian Ocean),[14] Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Nauru. A pair have been noticed in Pampanga, the Philippines
The Sacred Kingfisher is widespread and acquainted all through the coastal areas of mainland Australia and fewer widespread all through Tasmania. The species can also be discovered on islands from Australasia to Indonesia and New Zealand
In Australia, it happens in eucalypt forests, melaleuca forests, woodland, and paperbark forests. In New Zealand, T. sanctus vagans exhibits altitudinal migration, with the post-breeding motion from larger altitudes to the coast and likewise from forest to coast and open lands.
Sacred kingfisher Feeding
The sacred kingfisher feeds on bugs, small crustaceans, fish, small rodents and reptiles, and there are a couple of reviews of them consuming small finches.
Often, a fowl will sit on a low department and anticipate prey to go by. It swoops right down to seize the prey and returns to its perch to eat, very like a hawk.
Sacred Kingfishers forage primarily on the land, solely often capturing prey within the water. They feed on crustaceans, reptiles, bugs, and their larvae and, sometimes, fish.
The birds perch on low uncovered department looking out for prey. As soon as prey is positioned, the Sacred Kingfisher swoops down and grasps it in its bill, returning to the perch to eat it.
Sacred kingfisher Breeding
As soon as a pair of birds have mated, each member of the pair digs the nest; a burrow in a river financial institution, a big, empty department, or a termite mound are prime examples.
The feminine lays about 5 eggs, and each bird incubates the eggs and deals with the younger.
For a lot of the 12 months, Sacred Kingfishers are primarily solitary, pairing just for the breeding season. Often two clutches are laid in a season.
Each sex excavates the nest, which is often a burrow in a termite mound, hole department, or river financial institution.
The nest chamber is unlined and maybe as much as 20m above the bottom. Each sex additionally incubates the eggs and look after the younger.
Conservation status
The sacred kingfisher has a large distribution and the inhabitant’s development is growing, and it’s classed as least concern on the IUCN Purple Record.
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