The white-throated kingfisher (Halcyon
smyrnensis) is a tree kingfisher and familiar and common resident, breeding
bird of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. In Marathi language
it is called ‘Khandya, Dheesa and Dheewar.’ This bird is less dependent on
water than other members of the Alcedinidae. Normally the breeding season of
the White-breasted Kingfisher is March till July.
The white-throated kingfisher is also
known as the white-breasted kingfisher. The adult kingfisher has red large
bills and legs. The bird is bright blue back, wings and tail with white throat
and breast. The flight of bird is very rapid and direct while the short rounded
wings whirring, and large white patches are visible on the blue and black
wings.
Courtship Display
Courtship starts from March; in that period the
long beak birds are very vocal during and utter their cackling call ‘kili-kili’
repeatedly from a treetop for extended periods of time. Birds sit close to each
other and repeatedly call.
Nest of White-breasted Kingfisher
Normally the bird nest is a horizontal tunnel,
up to a meter long, which ends in a widened egg chamber and has a 7 cm wide
entrance. It is excavated in a vertical cutting of earth on the bank of a
river, stream, nullah or a roadside land cutting. The egg chamber is slightly
inclined, perhaps to prevent the flow of water into the chamber.
Also, it makes disposal of waste material from
within easy, as the chicks grow. In some nests the egg chamber is curved to the
left or right. Lining of the egg chamber was not observed. Both the birds
participate in nest excavation. One of the birds flew full tilt at the
prospective spot and hit it with the tip of its bill. It immediately returned
to the perching site while its partner repeated same process. This went on
until a nest entrance had formed.
After the entrance was at least 5 cm long, both
birds took turns to sit at its edge and excavate the tunnel further. Excavation
ceased if the pair encountered problems such as rocky or hard soil, and a new
site was selected. The pairs occupying the same area for 3 to 4 years. However
only ringing will confirm the reuse of a nest or site by the same pair.
However, the White-breasted Kingfisher is known to use various location
situations for constructing its nest.
Food
The kingfisher quite often found near the water,
where he likes to feeds on a wide range of prey that includes many things, like
small reptiles, crabs, amphibians, small rodents and even birds.
Eggs & egg laying
A clutch may comprise of four to seven eggs, but
usually contains 5 to 6. Eggs are white and spherical-oval in shape. The
average size of 30 eggs is 29.4 x 26.2 mm. The eggs laid at regular intervals
of 24 hrs or at least one gap of 48 hrs in the egg laying process.
Incubation & Hatching
There was negligible incubation up to the laying
of last egg after which, it commenced at night. Both birds participate in
incubation. The birds destroyed undigested food pellets that collected in the
nest during incubation. During changing over of duties, the relieving bird
uttered a call to the incubating bird, at which the latter left the nest.
After the eggs hatched, the attending bird
removed the shells. In one of the nests the adults also removed an infertile
egg. The incubation period is to be the extent of time from the laying of the
last egg of a clutch to the hatching. The Incubation period is 21–22 days and
fledging period 20–21 days.
Mortality
During one infertile egg the hatching period,
black ants attacked the chicks and eggs. At another nest, weaver ants attacked
a chick. Other common causes of chick mortality include accidental drowning,
caving in of the nest chamber and, falling out of nest hole. Speeding vehicles
occasionally knock down adult birds. In a study shows that the five nests that
were observed, 22 eggs were laid, of which one egg was infertile and black ants
attacked one chick and 3 eggs. The remaining 17 eggs hatched successfully.
White-throated kingfisher lifespan
The white-throated kingfisher hasn’t famous for
longer life. One of oldest kingfisher is recorded to live 21 years of age.
Hence the average lifespan is 4 to 5 years.
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