Kingfisher habitat. Common kingfisher - description, habitat. natural enemies in nature

The kingfisher is a very beautiful bird found throughout the Russian Federation, with the exception of the northern regions, in Belarus, Ukraine, Europe, central and southern Asia. In Russia, the most famous is the common kingfisher or, as it is also called, the blue kingfisher. The bird got its name because of the blue color of the wings and back. Two yellow stripes run along the sides of the head to the back of the head, and a pronounced white spot can be seen on the neck, which in females may have an orange tint.

The size of the kingfisher is small: the distance from the beak to the tip of the tail is only 18 centimeters. Wingspan - 8 centimeters, weight reaches 45 grams. The plumage is fat, which will allow the bird to easily dive into the water to a depth of one meter. The long beak makes the kingfisher an excellent fisherman, but this feathered bird is almost unable to walk due to its very short legs.

Where does he live and how does he hunt?

The kingfisher lives around wooded rivers and lakes. To build nests, it digs quite deep holes, up to 1 meter, in steep banks. If the bird does not find a suitable place for nesting, the dwelling can be removed from the water at a decent distance, up to three hundred meters, when there is a suitable cliff within reach. Nora ends in a round cave where the female incubates the chicks. Kingfishers do not build nests as such; eggs are usually laid directly on the ground.

It is very difficult to see a kingfisher in the wild. He usually looks out for prey, hiding in the foliage of trees hanging above the ground. There are rare cases when a bird hunts from a stump or branch sticking out of the water, then you can see the kingfisher in all its glory. Common foods for kingfishers are:

  • small fish: gobies, silver bream, bleak and so on;
  • aquatic insects;
  • small shellfish;
  • fry of almost any kind of fish.

Seeing a fry or other prey, a feathered swimmer quickly rushes into the water, grabbing food with a long beak, most often across the body. Holding the fish, he returns to his original place and kills it in the usual way for fishermen: he takes it by the tail and beats his head on a branch many times, after which he swallows it head first or carries it to the female and chicks.

It is not difficult to distinguish the kingfisher's hole from the dwellings of other animals: it always smells bad from it. The fact is that this bird is not very clean, over time, a layer of fish scales, mollusk shells, bones and other waste accumulates at the bottom of the nest. All this is mixed with the excrement of chicks and parents, becoming a welcome home for flies. The situation is aggravated by the fact that kingfishers are monogamous, and a couple returns to the same hole year after year.

reproduction

The male takes care of the female in a rather trivial way: he presents her with a caught fish. If the gift is accepted, the birds become a couple. For the most part, as mentioned above, kingfishers are monogamous, annually reuniting after wintering, the same family breeds in the last year's place. Exceptions are known when the male prefers polygamy, caring for several females and offspring at the same time, respectively.

Worthy of special mention housing construction process. Both birds dig it, raking the ground with their beak and paws. If during the construction process an obstacle is found in the ground, the hole is abandoned and a new one is dug. The whole process usually takes a week.

In the finished dwelling, the female lays 7-8 eggs. The parents take turns incubating the chicks. It should be noted that the offspring are quite voracious, one chick per day can eat more than its weight. Small kingfishers are born blind and naked. Full fledging takes three weeks, after which the brood is ready to leave the nest. This happens around the middle of June. From this moment, the parents feed the chicks for several more days and, most often, make a new laying of eggs. Thus, kingfishers can have time to breed during the summer 2, less often 3 (in the southern regions with early spring) times.

The distance between the houses of different couples is quite large and ranges from 300 meters to 1 kilometer. So, despite the apparent fertility, the number of these birds is declining every year. And the reason lies not in natural enemies, which kingfishers have almost none. It is difficult to hunt a bird that skillfully hides under the canopy of foliage, and in flight develops speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour. The main reason for the decline in the number of kingfishers is a person destroying their natural habitat. It is because of his activities that it is increasingly difficult for birds to find a clean forest pond.

Title secret

There are several suggestions why the word "kingfisher" sounds in the name of this bird. The most logical explanation for chicks of this species are born in winter, has long been refuted by the observations of scientists. Moreover, no species of kingfisher (such as collared, large piebald, red or ruby), even if living in the very warm climate of northern Africa or southern China, hatches chicks during the winter months. There is no definite answer to the question why this beautiful bird was so named. Consider several assumptions about the reasons for the emergence of such a name.

Be that as it may, now we know perfectly well that this name has nothing to do with winter. By the way, among other peoples, the bird is called by more suitable epithets, for example, in England, the kingfisher known as the Fisher King. This representative of birds appears in fairy tales and legends of many peoples, everywhere acting as an elusive magical bird from the forest thicket. Some of these stories are quite poetic, connected with the monogamy of this bird and its bright plumage.

It has long been a good sign to see a kingfisher, people considered it a great success. One can only hope that the process of changing nature by man will not make kingfishers disappear completely, and fishermen will continue to meet these beautiful birds in the wilderness.

Description

In late April - early May, the kingfisher arrives in central Russia.

The kingfisher has very strict requirements for life: a clean reservoir with running water (not shallow, but not deep), a cliff and overgrown banks. Kingfishers do not like close proximity to other birds. The number of kingfishers is currently declining due to human activities.

Nutrition

natural enemies

The kingfisher has practically no enemies. Occasionally young kingfishers are taken by hawks and falcons. Man rarely hunts this bird, except perhaps because of a stuffed animal.

Legend

Notes

Literature

  • Boris Zhukov Glittering Angler // Around the world: Journal. - Moscow, 2009. - No. 8. - S. 89-98.

Links

  • Database "Vertebrate Animals of Russia": Common Kingfisher

Categories:

  • Animals alphabetically
  • Species out of danger
  • Kingfisher
  • Birds of Eurasia
  • birds of africa
  • Birds of Oceania
  • Animals described in 1758

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See what the "Common Kingfisher" is in other dictionaries:

    Common kingfisher- Alcedo atthis see also 16.1.1. Genus Blue kingfishers Alcedo Common kingfisher Alcedo atthis Slightly smaller than a starling, it differs from all our birds in its brilliant greenish-blue coloration of the back and head, thanks to which a flying bird ... ... Birds of Russia. Directory

    common kingfisher- paprastasis tulžys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Alcedo atthis engl. common kingfisher vok. Eisvogel, m rus. common kingfisher, m pranc. martin pêcheur d Europe, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – tikrieji tulžiai… … Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

    Kingfisher Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals ... Wikipedia

    nightjar- Caprimulgus europaeus see also 14.1.1. Genus Caprimulgus Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus Tail with two large spots, white in males and red in females. Wing below with bright red stripes. It nests in mixed and ... ... Birds of Russia. Directory

    Great piebald kingfisher- Ceryle lugubris see also 16.1.2. Genus Piebald kingfishers Ceryle Large piebald kingfisher Ceryle lugubris The size of a dove, white with thick dark gray or black transverse streaks on the back, wings, chest and tail, chest sometimes with ... ... Birds of Russia. Directory

    Collared kingfisher- Halcyon pileata see also 16.1.3. Genus Red-nosed kingfishers Halcyon Collared kingfisher Halcyon pileata The top is dark blue with a white or red collar, the bottom is white with a red bloom. In flight, large white heels on the wings are visible. Occasionally… … Birds of Russia. Directory

    Striped-chested kingfisher ... Wikipedia

    By the name of one of the most beautiful birds of our hemisphere, which was glorified in various fairy tales and legends, they gave a completely inappropriate name to the large kingfisher family. Most of the birds related here live in a hot zone ... ... Animal life

    Kingfishers are birds of small and less often of medium size, with, with rare exceptions, a very bright color of plumage. Characterized by a large head with a large strong beak, a short neck and in most cases a short, straight cut tail. Biological Encyclopedia

    Kingfishers Common z ... Wikipedia

There are not so many birds in the world that need three elements at once - water, earth and air. Kingfisher is one of those. He spends most of his time in the air. Gets food in the water. He arranges a mink in the ground and breeds offspring.

Common Kingfisher ( Alcedo atthis) is a bird of the kingfisher family ( Alcedinidae) order of crustaceans ( coraciiformes). The coloration of the kingfisher is very showy. It has a greenish-bluish top, rufous belly, white spots on the sides of the neck. Dark elongated beak, straight and pointed, short red paws. And although the bird itself is small - about 17 cm long, 27-38 g in weight - bright luminous colors, so unusual for our latitudes, attract attention and make you remember the tropics. The kingfisher is like a living gem, like a piece of the southern sun among our more modest-colored birds. And when he catches a fish, rapidly rushing from above to the surface of the water, it seems that a bright blue spark flashes...

Indeed, most of the relatives of the common kingfisher live to the south. Many are in tropical countries. Yes, and he lives in Africa (north of the Sahara), and in southern Asia - almost to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. But it is also found in the north - in Europe to the Scandinavian Peninsula and St. Petersburg, in Asia - to Baikal and Amur. You can see it in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Far East. In these places, the kingfisher is mainly a migratory bird, although in Transcaucasia and Turkmenistan it is sedentary.

And yet, in the middle lane, the kingfisher in the summer is not so common, rather rare. It settles along the banks of rivers, lakes, canals with clear water and a slow current. You can often see him sitting on a knot near the shore or on a stone protruding in shallow water. This seat from where the bird looks for prey. She can do this in flight, stopping for a short time in the air and fluttering her short wings. Seeing a fish, the kingfisher rapidly falls into the water, slightly plunging into it, grabs the prey with its beak and flies with it into a hole or to its roost. True, the kingfisher is far from always lucky - many of his throws do not bring prey.

The usual cry of a kingfisher is a short, soft chik that it makes while flying over water.

The kingfisher nests in burrows, which are horizontal passages of almost a meter in length (rarely with bends at the end), expanding into a chamber of about 15 cm. Usually nests are arranged in steep banks of water bodies, at a height of 1 m and above. The burrow opening is 4–6 cm in diameter and, as a rule, is hidden behind the branches of bushes growing nearby. Rarely, it may be open.

For burrowing, kingfishers prefer places with clayey-sandy and clayey soils, but sometimes - black soil and even chalk. It is interesting that sometimes (although very rarely) birds can nest even far from the water, sometimes up to a kilometer - in dams, pits, hollows of trees and even in walls.

European kingfishers spend the winter in Southern Europe and North Africa. They arrive at the end of April in small flocks, low above the water, adhering to river banks. Pairs are formed only for the period of breeding. Having chosen sites - one for nesting and the other for gathering food (both can be separated by a considerable distance), - the birds stay on them for the entire breeding season.

The male courts the female, bringing her small fish in her beak. Soon the kingfishers begin to dig their holes. Both birds dig it, throwing out the earth with their paws and doing this from one to one and a half weeks. Kingfishers do not make nests as such - eggs are laid either on bare ground, if the nest is new, or on a thin litter of dry grass. The same mink can be used for many years, and then a layer of small fish bones and scales is formed in it, on which eggs first lie, and then chicks. It should be noted that fly larvae settle in such a litter, and decaying small fish brought by their parents constantly emit a stench ...

Kingfisher eggs are brilliant white, with a fine-grained strong shell. The average egg size is 29-18 mm. Most often, birds have one clutch per year, however, in the southern regions - and two, especially where the rivers do not freeze and some individuals remain to winter.

Incubation begins after the end of laying and lasts three weeks. Both parents incubate. When the chicks hatch, part of the shell is thrown away, the rest is crushed and used as bedding.

When feeding begins, the female “fishes” a lot and feeds the chicks, now and then flying into the hole with the caught fish, less often insect larvae, mollusks, worms, crustaceans and other aquatic trifles. Tadpoles and even aquatic plants are involved, although in small numbers. The male at this time, although he keeps nearby, does not take part in feeding the chicks.

Three and a half weeks after hatching, the young kingfishers leave the nest. At first, they are kept by the brood with their parents. Later, having become independent, they move on to a solitary wandering life - in the middle lane this happens in July. Grown up young birds already know how to watch and catch fish, collect insect larvae in the water. In color, they resemble adults, but are dimmer.

In August-September adult kingfishers molt. Their second molt - partial - occurs in January-March. Complete molting of young occurs only in the second year of life, from August to November.

For some bird lovers, kingfishers are successfully kept in captivity and even breed. For one pair of birds, an aviary 6–7 m long and at least 2 m wide and high is sufficient. In the aviary, you need to arrange a shallow, but large pond. It is good if it occupies about half of the bottom of the enclosure - at least this will give the birds the opportunity to swim. The shelter should have an open front wall if you feed your kingfishers soft food, and a completely closed one if your birds feed on small fish in winter. The droppings of kingfishers that feed on fish have a strong fetid odor.

It is better, of course, to take on the upbringing of young birds. They can be accustomed to the usual soft food, but with a large number of mealworms, grasshoppers, small fish, in particular minnows and sticklebacks, as well as chopped large fish. Adult birds can be given live fish. But kingfishers caught by adults are unlikely to be accustomed to feeding on an artificial mixture.

Many different beliefs and legends are associated with the kingfisher, which from time immemorial has attracted the attention of people with its unusual appearance, coloration and mysterious behavior. In Italian and Old French, its name sounds like "bird of paradise", and English translates as "king-fisherman". The Luxembourgers believe that the skin of the kingfisher repels moths and call this bird the appropriate name.

In Germany, the kingfisher carcass is a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Sometimes, during divine services, carcasses and stuffed animals of these birds were even placed under the altar. In ancient times, it was believed that kingfishers predict rainy weather if they sit on the shore and dry their wings.

In pagan times, there was a legend among fishermen that the kingfisher nests are in the sea and all storms subside when the bird flies home. Since this happens, according to legend, in the middle of winter, clear days at this time are called "Chalcyonic", i.e. kingfisher. And since this period falls just on Christmas, Catholics associate the kingfishers returning to their nests, pacifying the seas, with the image of the Mother of God.

According to ancient legend, the Latin name for kingfisher Alcedo associated with a woman named Alcyone, who could not survive the death of her husband who died in a shipwreck and, throwing herself into the sea, died herself. The gods took pity on the spouses and turned them into kingfishers. According to another legend, after the dove, Noah sent the kingfisher to find land, but because of the storm, he had to rise high into the sky. Having bathed in the blue of the sky, he turned from gray to blue. The fearless kingfisher flew so high that the sun was under him and painted his belly in red-brown tones. Returning, the kingfisher did not find the ark and still flies in search of it along the banks of the rivers, looking for and piercingly calling Noah. And the blue and red color testify to his courage, because he was not afraid to climb into the blue distances above the sun.

Kingfishers are birds of unusual and bright beauty. More than a hundred species belong to their family, and one is brighter than the other. In the Belgorod region, you can most often find an ordinary, or blue kingfisher.

The first thought when you see a bird on a branch: and how does its beak not outweigh? Second: strong, she, probably. Kingfisher is really strong. At the same time, its carcass is quite small - it is slightly larger than a sparrow in size. But the beak is really huge for such a bird, but very functional.

Weighs bird up to 50 g. Kingfisher wing in length- about 7 cm, beak- 3.5 cm. The wings of the bird are powerful, but there are no legs. Therefore, kingfishers prefer to fly, on their paws they prefer to sit rather than walk.

The kingfisher is not a sociable bird. He is a true introvert, avoiding everything: people, animals, amphibians and birds. Even neighboring kingfishers settle as far apart as possible. Therefore, Belgorod residents rarely meet them.

In our country, the kingfisher is called the fisher king, by the way, in many countries this is his official name. Five times I have watched a kingfisher hunt. At first, he sits on some post or twig by the water - he is getting ready. The attack takes a matter of seconds. The bird abruptly flies up and dives into the water, grabs the fish and returns to its place.

Kingfisher likes small fish- eats about ten pieces a day, if fishing is unsuccessful, then he does not disdain insects, frogs at all.

Clean and warm

“... above the water, sparkling with cobalt blue and green, like a precious stone, a small bird flew by with a direct and fast flight. From a flight, she sat down on a dry tree branch hanging over the water ... It is not difficult to examine the kingfisher: he sits calmly on a branch for a long time, looking into the water and lowering his long beak down.

Experts say that the kingfisher has very strict requirements for a reservoir: clean, running water, warms up under the sun, but not much, nearby is a steep bank overgrown with cattail and shrubs. And it is also desirable that there be a minimum of other birds nearby, and there were no people at all.

Photo pixabay.com

But kingfishers are also willing to compromise in favor of waters rich in small fish. In the southern regions on a fish farm, I saw an excellent confirmation of this: a pair of blue kingfishers, who, apparently, did not hear about such serious requirements for their habitat, and, it seems, were happy. They were not embarrassed by the neighborhood with cormorants, bitterns and people. They calmly fished out fish after fish from the open-air fish farm pool. The birds skillfully flew around the net stretched around the pool - an impregnable barrier for large bitterns and cormorants, and enjoyed fishing. Local workers say that they have been seeing “these two” here for five years already: they arrive as soon as it gets warmer.

In a no less southern region, I met another curious kingfisher, this time with green plumage. The plump bird lived on a stocked pond in the park. She didn’t pay attention to people at all, she sat on the fence, from which she dived into the water for another fish, and ate on the same fence.

Born in winter?

Kingfishers hatch chicks in summer. These are migratory birds. We will appear tentatively in early May, and fly away in September.

In the clutch of birds on average six eggs. Kingfisher babies hatch bald and blind - completely dependent on their parents. But the good parents are caring, they feed the offspring at first with soft food, for example, dragonfly larvae. At first, the family keeps together: the chicks learn to fly, their parents feed them.

Parents-kingfishers after the "summer" scatter to spend the winter, but the next year, as a rule, reunite and return to their old "nest".

As you already understood, the kingfisher has nothing to do with winter. The mystery of its name associated with his "nest".

The kingfisher, like its counterparts from the coraciiformes order, is called norniki. It is not for nothing that these birds have chosen the steep banks near the water, overgrown with shrubs. In such a cliff it is convenient to dig a hole, and bushes will cover the entrance to it from predators.

Burrow entrance kingfisher - about 5 cm. Then there is an expanding corridor. Nora resembles a flask with a long neck and a rounded bottom for chemical experiments. Experts have calculated that it takes a couple of kingfishers ten days to dig a hole. Birds burrow with their beaks and dig the ground with their paws.

Specially bedding the kingfisher does not lay in the nest, although, of course, there are exceptions. It is formed by itself from fish scales and other remnants of the meal. As it is not difficult to guess, the kingfisher's hole is untidy. They say it smells.

The most common version of the origin of the bird's name - "kingfisher" (giving birth in the ground) - has been transformed over time. By the way, in Bulgarian the kingfisher will be “zemerodnoto ribarche” – consonant with both our “kingfisher” and the overseas fisherman king. By the way, a relative of our kingfisher - kookaburra- is the national symbol of Australia along with the platypus and koala.

Natalia Kozlova

The females of this tribe are usually somewhat smaller than the males, while they almost do not differ from them in color scheme and other features, which is observed in most of the species of the family.

Representatives of both sexes have a neat head; their beak is thin, sharp, tetrahedral at the end; the tail is not long, which is a rarity for the winged brethren. But the catchy beautiful plumage greatly adorns their appearance, making such creatures very memorable and stand out among other representatives of the bird kingdom.

The brightness of the shades of their outfit turns out to be a consequence of the special structure of the pen. Upper body cover common kingfisher greenish-blue, brilliant, pleasantly striking with the variety and amazing combination of shades of the indicated range with the addition of areas with a metallic sheen, and on the back of the head and wings with light small blotches.

A similar celebration of color is created due to the play of reflected rays of a certain visible spectrum. And the orange shades of the breast and abdomen give rise to the components of a special biological pigment contained in the feather cover of these birds.

But the versatility kingfisher in the photo conveyed better than words. Such a variety in the play of colors and their shades makes this bird very similar to, which is also famous for the richness of plumage colors. But purely genetically described representatives of the feathered fauna are more akin.

Indeed, such bright colors inherent in the plumage of the kingfisher are more suitable for birds of tropical latitudes and similar climate areas with a favorable warm climate. And this largely corresponds to the current state of affairs, because such winged creatures inhabit vast areas of southern Asia and the lands of Africa, are found on the Australian continent and in New Guinea.

However, this exotic bird often catches the eye of a person in various parts of Europe. It is also found in the vast steppes and in the Crimea. This remarkable birdie can be seen in Ukraine, for example, in Zaporozhye, also in Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Kinds

The opinions of ornithologists about the number of species of such birds are divided. Some believe that there are 17 of them, others - which is much less. And the authors of scientific papers who describe these birds are sometimes very divided in their views and have not yet come to a consensus.

However, according to international agreements, it is customary to distinguish about seven varieties, five of which will be described here.

  • Kingfisher blue or common. This representative of the kingfisher genus has already been mentioned in this article with a description of the appearance of these birds. A similar species inhabits the northern part of Africa and many Pacific islands, but is also widespread in Europe, and even in its rather northern regions, for example, it is found in the vicinity of St. Petersburg and in southern Scandinavia.

This species is divided into 6 subspecies. Among their members, one can notice both migratory kingfishers and those leading a settled life. Voice of the Kingfisher perceived by the ear as an intermittent squeak.

  • Striped kingfisher. In size, these members of the kingfisher genus are somewhat larger than the representatives of the species just described. The body length of these birds reaches 17 cm. And they live mainly in the expanses of the Asian continent in its southern tropical zones.

The distinguishing features of these winged creatures include a blue stripe that adorns the chest of males. They have a black beak, but in the female half it stands out red from below.

The top of the plumage of such birds is dark blue, while the chest and abdomen can be light orange or just white. The variety, according to most data, includes two subspecies.

  • Kingfishers are large blue. The name itself speaks of the size of the representatives of this species. It reaches 22 cm. Outwardly, such birds are in many ways similar to ordinary kingfishers. But these birds are noticeably larger in size.

Such birds live in Asia, more precisely - in the southern regions of China and the Himalayas. The beak of these winged creatures is black, the feathers of the head and wings have a blue range of certain shades, the lower part of the body is reddish, the throat is white.

  • The turquoise kingfisher is a resident of the African jungle. The top of the feather cover is marked with a bluish gamut, the bottom is reddish, the throat is white. But, in fact, representatives of the species do not have a fundamental difference in appearance and color from their fellows. The variety is usually divided into two subspecies.

  • Kingfisher blue-eared. This species has six subspecies. Their representatives live in Asia. A distinctive feature of such creatures is the blue color of the edges of the ear.

Lifestyle and habitat

To the choice of the place of settlement, these birds are quite strict and picky. They settle near rivers with fairly fast currents and crystal clear waters. Such a choice becomes especially important when settling in temperate latitudes.

After all, some sections of fast rivers with flowing waters tend not to be covered with ice even in the most severe times, when snow lies around and cold reigns. Here, kingfishers have the opportunity to survive the winter, being sufficiently provided with places for hunting and feeding. And their daily menu includes mainly fish and some other medium-sized aquatic creatures.

But the bulk of the kingfishers that have taken root in temperate areas still become migratory. And with the onset of winter, they move to places with more favorable conditions located in the territories of southern Eurasia and North Africa.

Burrows serve as houses for kingfishers. They, as a rule, burrow by the birds themselves in quiet places, away from signs of civilization. However, these creatures do not really like neighborhoods, even with relatives. Some believe that the dwellings of such birds became the reason for their name.

They spend their days in the ground, are born and raise a new generation of chicks there too, that is, they are earthlings. Therefore, it is very possible that the nickname just indicated was once given to them, only distorted over time.

Of course, this is all debatable. Therefore, there are other opinions: why is the kingfisher so called. If you take a bird in your hands, you can feel its cold, because it constantly spins near water bodies and is in the ground. In view of this, kingfishers were christened born of winter.

No other explanation for this has yet been found. It is interesting that for the construction of holes, more precisely for discarding clods of earth, kingfishers are very helpful in their short tails. They play the role of a kind of bulldozers.

Under natural conditions, the described birds do not have particularly active enemies. The attack of birds of prey: hawks and falcons, usually affects only young animals. Bipedal hunters are also of little interest in these birds.

True, it happens that the bright outfit of such birds causes exotic lovers of some countries to make stuffed animals out of them that decorate people's houses and are sold as souvenirs. Similar products are popular, for example, in Germany. Here it is believed that a stuffed kingfisher is able to bring prosperity and wealth to its owner's home.

However, the French and Italians are not so cruel. They prefer to keep images of these birds in their homes, calling them paradise.

These representatives of the winged fauna have few enemies, but the number of kingfishers on the planet is still steadily declining from year to year. They are pressed by the civilization of people, the economic activity of the human race, its irresponsibility and unwillingness to preserve the original appearance of nature around itself.

And these birds, even more than many others, are extremely sensitive to the cleanliness of the surrounding space.

Nutrition

Getting food for myself kingfisher shows a lot of patience. When hunting, he is forced to sit for hours on a stalk of reeds or a branch of a bush, bending over the river, looking out for a possible appearance of prey. "King-fisherman" - this is how these birds are called in the lands of Britain. And it's a very apt name.

The holes of these winged creatures are very easy to distinguish from similar shelters of other winged brethren, and swifts, by the fetid smell emanating from the dwelling. It is not surprising, because kingfisher parents usually raise their cubs on a fish diet. And the uneaten remnants of meals and fish bones are not removed by anyone, and therefore they rot in excess and smell disgusting.

The diet of these birds consists of small fish. It can be a sculpin or a bleak. Less commonly, they feed on freshwater shrimp and other invertebrates. Their prey can be frogs, as well as dragonflies, other insects and their larvae.

For a day, in order to stay full, the kingfisher should be caught personally for himself with a dozen or a dozen small fish. Sometimes birds overtake their prey right in the course of flight, descending to the water. For hunting, they are very useful in the peculiar arrangement of their sharp beak.

But the most difficult, even dangerous part of the kingfisher's hunt is not tracking down prey and not attacking it, but taking off and taking off from the water surface with a victim in its beak, especially if it is large. After all, the feather outfit of these creatures does not have a water-repellent effect, which means it gets wet and makes the bird heavier.

Therefore, these winged creatures cannot gape and stay in the water for a long time. By the way, there are more than enough cases even with a fatal outcome, especially among young animals, a third of which die in this way.

Reproduction and lifespan

Kingfisher's nest most likely to be found on a sandy, very steep coast, the outlines of which hang directly above the river waters. Moreover, the earth here should be soft and not contain pebbles and roots, because otherwise such birds simply cannot dig holes suitable for growing offspring.

Typically, the length of the passage to such a nestling habitat is about one and a half meters long. And the tunnel itself is strictly straight in direction, otherwise the hole will not be well illuminated through the inlet.

The passage itself leads to the nesting chamber. It is there that the mother kingfisher first lays, and then incubates eggs in turn with the father of the family, the number of which usually does not exceed 8 pieces. So it takes, until the birth of hatched chicks, three weeks.

The male is more involved in newborn cubs. And his girlfriend, especially immediately, goes to arrange another hole, intended for a new brood. At the same time, the father of the family is forced to feed the older children, as well as the female, who incubates and brings up the younger offspring.

Thus, the process of reproduction of their own kind continues at an accelerated pace. And in one summer, a pair of kingfishers can show the world up to three broods.

By the way, the family life of these birds is extremely curious. The main responsible figure here is the male. His duties include the maintenance and nutrition of the female and offspring. At the same time, the behavior of the spouse herself, by human standards, can be considered very frivolous.

While the male kingfisher is exhausted with family problems, his girlfriend can enter into relationships with males left without a mate, changing them at her own discretion quite often.

Kingfisher bird has an interesting feature. Such a sign allows you to understand by the manner of holding the prey: to whom it is intended. The catch caught for itself is usually located in the beak with its head towards itself, and the food caught to saturate the womb of the female and chicks turns its head away from itself.

The offspring of kingfishers matures quickly, so within a month after birth, the new generation learns to fly and hunt independently. It is also curious that usually members of a married couple go to wintering separately, but upon returning from warm countries, they unite to raise new offspring with their former partner.

Kingfishers are able to live, if fatal accidents and diseases do not interfere with their fate, for about 15 years.