Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) lives in coastal mangrove forests across Red Sea across southern Asia to Polynesia. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Collared Kingfisher
- Spanning from the Red Sea's Eritrean mangroves to the rain-soaked islands of Melanesia, the collared kingfisher occupies one of the world's broadest coastal ranges. subspecies have been named, each tied to a specific stretch of shoreline, from T. c. abyssinicus in northeast Africa to T. c. kalbaensis, an endangered form limited to fewer than 55 breeding pairs in the UAE.
- Mangrove swamps are the kingfisher's favorite real-estate, and the species even shows up in Manila's last functional mangrove refuge. In the 182-hectare Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park, a collared kingfisher was photographed perched among the roots, underscoring the bird's reliance on these tidal forests. The park's mangroves act as a living shoreline, buffering storm surges and protecting nearby communities.
- The kingfisher's menu reads like a seaside buffet: small crabs, shrimp, beetles, cicadas, moths, spiders, earthworms, snails, frogs, lizards, tiny snakes, even occasional fish, birds or mice. It perches motionless for long periods, then glides down in a silent swoop, grabs the target, and flies back to beat larger catches against a branch before swallowing.
- Both parents dig or adopt a tree-hole nest, lay a clutch of two-to-five white eggs, and share incubation duties. After hatching, chicks stay inside the burrow for about 44 days before fledging, and the pair often raises two broods in a single breeding season.
- At just 23 to 25 cm long, the collared kingfisher fits on the tip of a ruler, yet males tip the scales at 51-90 g and females can weigh up to 100 g, about the weight of a deck of cards.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeRed Sea across southern Asia to Polynesia
HabitatCoastal mangrove forests
DietInsects and crustaceans
About the Collared Kingfisher
In the lush, vibrant tapestry of the tropical coastline, the Collared Kingfisher is a splash of electric blue, its wings beating with a hypnotic rhythm as it darts between the mangroves, its piercing call ringing out across the water. With each swift, agile movement, it embodies the very essence of its domain, a master of the sun-drenched shores and the coral reefs that lie beneath. As it swoops and dives, its iridescent feathers glimmering like jewels in the bright light, the Collared Kingfisher is a true marvel of nature, a fleeting glimpse of perfection in the ever-changing dance of the ocean's edge.
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