14 |
Sacred KingfisherAlternative names: "Wood Kingfisher", "Tree Kingfisher", "Green Kingfisher"; Misnomer: "Forest Kingfisher*" Size: 20-23 cm |
 |
Habitat |
(for details refer to a field guide) |
Sacred Kinfishers are migrants to Australia from the north. They can make landfall anywhere along the north coast of the continent, from the Kimberleys in the west to Cape Melville in the east. The largest population breeds in the eastern half of QLD and NSW plus all of VIC and the south-eastern corner of SA. There are breeding colonies in the top end of the NT and along the coast of WA (in various areas, but mostly the south-western corner). Outside their breeding season they disperse into most of the continent, except the most arid parts (basically from the Nullarbor to south of the Kimberleys, i.e. most of eastern WA, a part of western SA and of the south-western NT. Outside the breeding season they are also found on Tasmania.
Sacred Kinfishers are found in a variety of habitats, from coastal woodlands and mangroves to eucalypt forests, often near water courses. They adapt quite well to the presence of humans and can be found in gardens and parks as well.
 |
Sightings |
Sacred Kingfishers can be found during the breeding season and summer at the place where we lived in 2003-2006, 20 km south of Narrabri, NSW. The first sighting in 2006 was in early September; during that season they were spotted by us in various locations in the Narrabri area.
Also found in the area 20-30 km east of Narrabri in the spring/summer of 2007/08. Returned from their migration to the north at the middle of September 2008. Then seen again in the 2009/10 breeding season. In the 2010/11 season the first bird arrived in late September. A year later, 2011/12, the first one appeared in early November, at the same time as the first Common Koel.
Spotted by C. Kellenberg on Lord Howe Island in July 2010. Also seen by us east of the Great Dividing Range, at Bongil Bongil National Park, in January 2011.
 |
Photos |
Close-up lateral view of a Sacred Kingfisher; photo courtesy
of C. Kellenberg
Lateral view of a Sacred Kingfisher
View of the back of a Sacred Kingfisher
In these conditions this birds looks almost like a Forest Kingfisher, but it is in
fact a Sacred Kingfisher
Lateral view of a Sacred Kingfisher with a distinctly blueish appearance
The same bird as above, turning its back; there is almost no turquoise tint and no "mottled blue" on its collar either
Lateral view of a Sacred Kingfisher in flight; photo courtesy of R. Druce
Sightly different posture
Close-up view of a fledgling Sacred Kingfisher; note the stubby tail. The bird's rasping call was reminiscent of one of the calls of a Restless Flycatcher
This contributed photo shows in detail a wing of a Sacred
Kingfisher (a cat got the rest of the bird...)
 |
Breeding information |
| Breeding season: Sep - Jan | Eggs: 3 - 6 | Incubation period: 17 - 18 days | Fledging age: 26 - 28 days |
 |
Nest |
| Type: Tree hollow or tunnel, with basket | Material: ? | Height above ground: 0 - 25 m |
Sometimes also seen to use arboreal termite mounds.
Pair of Sacred Kingfishers, female on the left, male on the right, just outside their nesting hollow
Here one of the birds entering the nesting hollow
Entrance to the nesting hollow of a pair of Sacred
Kingfishers
 |
Eggs |
| Size: 25 x 22 mm | Colour: White | Shape: Tapered oval |
 |
Behaviour |
| Social behaviour: Territorial | Mobility: Migratory | Elementary unit: Solitary/pair |
Together with other birds marking the boundaries of their territory by calling from vantage points, we noticed that the local pair of Sacred Kingfishers was quiet for two days during a late cold snap in late October 2008.
Some bird species, including Sacred Kingfishers, are quite adaptable in choosing where they hunt. The photo below is of a juvenile bird that was seen around our place in March 2009. There were no parents around to teach the bird its tactics and it was clearly too young to have made earlier experiences in previous seasons. It hunted from a gate, just outside the reach of a sprinkler, in an area where insects disturbed by the water were crawling into drier areas.
Forest Kingfisher using the disturbance created by a lawn sprinkler to pick off insects crawling away; the bird sat about 50 cm outside the range of the sprinkler
 |
Food |
Like other kingfishers, Sacred Kingfishers prey on small fish and yabbies, which they catch diving into water. However, they are known to hunt primarily on land for small reptiles and large insects (e.g. bush cockroaches).
Sacred Kingfisher diving to catch its prey...
... and subsequently returning to its perch
