|
SACRED KINGFISHER FACTS |
Description
The Sacred Kingfisher has a turquoise back, turquoise blue rump and tail, buff-white underparts and a broad cream collar. Has black eye stripe. Female is less brightly coloured. Young birds are similar to the female, but with some brown on the collar, wings and underside.
Size
20-22 cm
Habitat
woodlands, mangroves and paperbark forests
Food
crustaceans, reptiles, insects and their larvae
Breeding
nest is a burrow in a termite mound, hollow branch or river bank. Lays 3-6 eggs.
Range
oceans and islands off west and east costs of mainland Australia
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Notes
How to identify common kingfishers. Little Kingfisher - very small blue kingfisher with small white patch on neck. Azure Kingfisher - orange underparts and violet sheen. Forest kingfisher - turquoise green head and back with white underparts and black legs. Sacred kingfisher - torquoise back with dark head, cream collar and dark eye stripe.
Classification
| Class: | Aves | | Order: | Coraciiformes | | Family: | Alcedinidae | | Genus: | Todiramphus | | Species: | sanctus | | Common Name: | Sacred Kingfisher |
Relatives in same Genus
Collared Kingfisher (T. chloris)
Forest Kingfisher (T. macleayii)
Red-backed Kingfisher (T. pyrrhopygia)
|
|
