Howdy, friends.  This week’s bird is the green kingfisher.  This small, brightly colored bird is perfectly suited to its niche of hanging out along riverbanks and diving into the water to hunt.  Despite its coloration, it blends well with its surroundings.  So well, in fact, that while reading up on a closely related species, the green-and-rufous kingfisher, I found a lot of the article was just kinda “we’re not sure, they’re really good at hiding.”  I love finding a bird that just kind of goes about its business whether we’re looking for it or not, it gives me hope that nature will abide regardless of how hard we screw up.  

The green kingfisher likes slow-moving or still water, and may on occasion take leave its perch hover as high as 6m (20ft) before diving into the water.  It prefers shaded spots about 1.5 m off the ground and within a few meters of the water. After a fishing attempt, it will usually change perches.  It hunts small fish as well as aquatic crustaceans, and nymph stages of terrestrial insects.  Also, adult terrestrial insects which one must assume are not in the water when hunted. “…though it requires low vegetation for hunting perches it generally prefers relatively open habitat rather than dense forest.^[11] It is a year-round resident throughout its range but roams a territory that may be as much as 1 km (0.6 mi) or more of river.^[11] ”  

Breeding season varies geographically, being earlier further north, and into December and beyond in the southern end of its range.  The green kingfisher does not build nests.  Rather, both members of a breeding pair will work together to excavate a burrow in the earthen bank of a local body of water.  The birds use their beaks to dig as well as two partially fused, forward facing toes, a feature shared with other kingfishers.  This is referred to as a syndactyl toe arrangement.  The nest is about 1m (3 ft) deep but only 5 cm (2 inches) wide, with the clutch of eggs located at the far end, away from the entrance to the burrow.  These pairs will defend their territory from other green kingfishers but seldom from other kinds of kingfishers.  

Oh, right, finally, the title of the header this week comes from transliterations of the green kingfisher’s call, which has been described as sounding like tsheersh, tseelp or zchrrk.  L. Ron Hubbard could write 50,000 words about any one of those characters.  Have a good weekend, everyone!

Links: https://tinyurl.com/ysujkrb3, https://tinyurl.com/246ubn36, https://tinyurl.com/bpa7eaf3, https://tinyurl.com/4ceu59w6.