White-collared Kingfisher
| Class: Aves: Birds |
Diet: Crustaceans,
fish |
| Order:
Coraciiformes |
| Size:
25.5 cm (10 in) |
| Family: Alcedinidae:
Kingfishers |
Conservation Status:
Non-threatened |
| Scientific Name: Halcyon
chloris |
Habitat: mangrove
swamps, estuaries, rivers, forest clearings |
| Range:
Ethiopia to India, southeastern China, Australia, southwestern Pacific
islands |
 This
widely distributed kingfisher is found in a variety of habitats but most
commonly in mangrove swamps. Perching on branches, it watches for prey,
then swoops down to the swamp mud or dives into the water in pursuit of
crabs and small fish, its main foods. Before swallowing a crab, the kingfisher
will dash it against a branch a few times to crush the shell. These kingfishers
nest in holes in trees, among the roots of an arboreal fern or in termite
or ant nests. The female lays 3 or 4 eggs.
  
|
