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| Kingfishers Family Alcedinidae Pekaka (Malay)  The
typical impression is that Kingfishers only eat fish and hunt for
them by diving into the water. However, most Kingfishers are generalised
feeders.They hunt any slow-moving prey that are within their reach. Many eat mainly insects and can catch these in flight. They also eat snakes, lizards and other small vertebrates. It is more appropriate to call them "Kinghunters". Kingfishers are sit-and-wait predators, scanning a wide area from a favourite perch. If there is no suitable perch, they may hover. Kingfishers have large eyes for keen eyesight, and a strong, long bill to catch their prey. Forest Kingfishers (Subfamily Daceloninae) have long, massive bills with a slightly hooked tip for holding and crushing prey. Some even use their bills for digging into the ground to search for earthworms and other titbits. |
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| Solitary creatures, Kingfishers are fiercely territorial of good feeding spots, energetically chasing off other Kingfishers, including their offspring. Although a male may tolerate a female, they are still quite nervous near each other. |
 Bluer
than blue: The Kingfisher's trademark blue colour is not an
actual pigment on the feathers. It is the result of special layers
in the feathers which reflect only the blue wavelengths of light.
As Kingfishers fly, their colours may thus change from blue to green. |
They use their bills to loosen the material, then shovel out the material with their feet. Their three front toes are joined for part of their length. This makes it difficult for them to walk, but forms handy shovels. Tunnels usually slope upwards to drain off debris and water, and can be up to 60m deep. The tunnel ends in a rounded chamber. If the birds encounter an obstacle in their digging, they may start all over again.
The eggs are pure white. As they nest in holes, there is no need for camouflage and the white colour may actually make them easier to see in the dark. The female usually incubates in the initial stages, but the male eventually takes over. In some Kingfisher species, other members of a family unit help to out in breeding. In some, more than one female may lay in a nest.
Hatchlings are naked and blind. They don't have any down feathers. Instead, they get their adult feathers immediately, these emerging enclosed in a thin tube or sheath. Until the sheaths break, the hatchlings look like prickly little hedgehogs!
Status and threats: Kingfishers are threatened by habitat destruction which limits suitable nest sites and ideal feeding grounds. Like other wetland habitats, these are affected by structures that change water flows and quality, e.g., dams, irrigation projects, reclamation, pollution. Because nestlings are born naked, they can easily die of the cold if the parents are unable to re-enter the nest due to human disturbances. Thus even human presence near kingfisher breeding sites can be a threat.
REFERENCES
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buy these references & others, visit Nature's Niche |
- Charlie Hamilton James, "Kingfishers", Colin Baxter Photography, 1997 (the entire book is full of great info and photos of Kingfishers, especially about the European race of the Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis).
- Dr. Harold G Cogger (et. al), "Encyclopedia of Animals"; Kingfishers and their Allies by Joseph Forshaw and Alan Kemp, Weldon Owen, 1993 (p. 360-362: habits).
- Sir John A S Bucknill and E N Chasen, " Birds of Singapore and South-East Asia", Tynron Press, 1927, edition 1990 (p. 115-125: identification, status in Singapore, field notes on habits, drawings).
- Prof. Dr. Yong Hoi Sen (ed.), "The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Animals"; Kingfishers and Woodpeckers by Siti Hawa bt Yatim, Editions Didier Millet, 1998 (p. 56: habits, habitats).