WHITE BREASTED KINGFISHER
scientific name: halcyon smyrnensisMalayalam name: (മീന്കൊത്തിച്ചാത്ത.)
general description:- [head neck and underside of body is chocolate coloured.throat,chest and chin are white coloured.upper surface of body is blue coloured.adult birds have dark red beaks,seen commonly in Kerala.]
Found equally in cities and rural areas.this bird doesn't require the presence of water bodies to survive.They equally prefer aquatic animals as well as ground dwelling lizards,insects and small snakes etc..
Normally they travel lonely.they spent most of their time looking for food in dry areas such as forests,teak plantations etc.their method of foraging resembles that of DRONGO’s and BEE-EATER’s in that they position themselves in a higher platform and watch the ground for movement,and when they spot something , they scoop down and grabs it.
When termites take to the air, they are found to chase them in mid air for feasting.When the prey is difficult to eat or is difficult to chew down their beaks,they take them back to a branch and squash them by beating the prey on the branch rigorously and then eat it slowly.
Although not that dependent on water like other kingfishers they are seen to do the ‘still air’ flight like the other ones.
Their sounds can be heard commonly in every backyards in Kerala.it goes as ‘kre-kre-kre’ or’kle-kle-kle’ and resembles a hoarse laughter.during the season of rain (monsoon) their sounds turn into ‘kilu-kilu-kilu’ and signifies the time of their courtship season.They are often seen to fly around rigorously while doing this.
from Wikipedia
Although they nest from February,most nests are seen during the commencement of rainy season (April).Their nesting behavior is similar to that of other kingfishers but are also seen to dig their nests in ridges found in paddy fields and wells.They don’t necessarily require water bodies near their nests.
