4. "White - Throated KingFisher ( खंड्या, धीवर)

Common Name: White Throated KingFisher
Scientific Name:-Halcyon Smyrnensis
Local Name:-खंड्या, धीवर

Date Of Sighting:- 

Place of Sighting:- Near Goa- Baga Beach- Maharashtra

State Bird:-

Type:-Resident

Status:-

Discription:- 

1.This Kingfisher is a resident over much of its range , although some population may make short distance movement.It can often be found well  away from water where it feed on wide range of Prey that includes reptiles,amphibians,crabs,small rodents and even birds. During breeding season they call loudly in morning from prominent perches including the tops of building in urban areas or n wires.

Habitat, Region, and Climate:-

1.White Throated king Fisher is a tree Kingfisher ,widely distributed in eurasia from bulgeria,Turkey and east through south Asia to the Phillippines.

Territory:-

Territory is extremely important for Kingfishers all year round.Any bird that is unable to secure a territory with and adequate food supply is likely to perish.This is particularly important before the onset of winter.Ths birds start to contest territories by mid-sept.A breedding pair will often divide their summer territory between them.Freezing weather can sometimes force the birds out their territories,which often takes them to less suitable habitats or into conflicts with other resident Kingfishers.

The size of the territory depends on the amount of food available , and on the bird population in the area.Territories tend to cover at least 1 km of river, but may extend over 3-5 km.Any nearby waterbody that provided good fishing will be included in the territory.

Feeding Habits ( food ):- 

1.Kingfisher eat mainly fish,chiefly minnows and sticklebacks but they also take aquatic insects,fresh water 

shrimps and tadpoles etc.to top of their diet.Although they prefer fish averaging around 23mm in length ,they can handle comparatively large prey-anything upto 80mm long.

An Ideal fishing spot is a firm perch overlooking a clear, shallow pool of water.Once the bird has located suitable prey and assessed its depth,it dives.At the entry in to water,its beak is opened and its eyes closes by
the eyelid.The bird is effectively blind folded as it catches th fish.On return to perch,it repeatedly strikes th fish against the perch to kill it.Only then will spines in the fins of some species such as sticklebacks relax to allow th third bird swallow it,head first,each bird must eat at least its own body weight of fish each day.
2.The Majority of the kingfisher species have well developed vision.Their dark brown eyes are able to see colors distinctly and are even capable of binocular vision.They are able to move their eyes within the eye sockets rather than having to rotate their entire heads to follow their prey.An unusual adaption they possess is the ability to compensate for the waters refraction and reflection as they search for prey underwater.This makes the fish look closer to the surface than it is .They have accurate depth perception as well.Nature ahs provided the kingfisher with great deal of ocular protection.Their nictitating membranes protect their eyes when they hit the water.One species,the pied kingfisher has unique adaption:a bony plate which slides across the eye when the bird hits the water.The kingfisher will stab its prey ,either with the bill closed or open,depending on the size of the prey.Kingfisher of all three families kill their prey by beating them on ground or perch to shatter the bones.Then they work the fish in to their mouths ,head first,so that they wont get cut up by the bones or scales as they swallow it whole.They will even consume snakes in this manner.Many kingfisher can eat prey that seems to large to fit their mouth.Some species feed primarily on fish, frogs, crustaceans,crabs,crayfish,worms,mollusks,insects,spiders,centipedes,reptiles and even birds and mammals
3.Species mainly hunts large crustaceans,inseacts,earthworms, rodents, snaks, fish and frogs.Predation of small birds such as the oriental white-eye, chick of red wattled lapwing, sparrows and munias have been reported.

Distinctive features:-

1. Its head ,shoulders,flanks and lower belly are chestnuts and throat and breast are white.The large bill and legs are bright res

2.The flight of white throated kingfisher is rapid and direct, the short rounded wings whirring. In flight,large white patchs are visible on the blue and black wings.
3.Male and female are similar  but juveniles are duller version of the adult.

Bird Housing and Nesting
Kingfisher breed in their first year and pair formation usually starts in February.If the male and female have neighboring territories,these may merge for the breeding season.
Both birds excavate the nest burrow into the stone-free sandly soil of low stream bank,usually about 0.5m from the top.The birds choose a vertical bank clear of vegetation,since this provides a reasonable degree of protectection from predators.The nest tunnel is usually 60-90cm long abd 6 cm diameter is only a little wider than bird.The nest chamber at the end has a slight depression to prevent eggs rolling out,but no material is brought to the nest .2-3 broods are raised in quick succession,normally in the same nest.
The first clutch of 6-7 eggs is laid late in March or early in April.Both adults incubate the eggs and the chicks hatch 19-21 days later.each chick can eat 12-18 fish a day, and they are fed in rotation-once a chick is fed,it moves to the back of the nest to digest its meal,causing the others to move forward.The chicks are normally ready to leave the nest when they are 24-25 days old,but if the fish supply is poor,they can take up to 37 days.Once out of the nest,the young are fed for only four days before the adults drive them out of the territory and start the next brood

Genaral Size and Shape:- 

1.This is large kingfisher, 30 cm in length .The adult has a bright blue back ,wings and tail.

Egg :-From March to June Lays 6 to 7 Eggs

Importance of birds:-

1.Kingfisher is at the end of the food chain and is thus exposed to any contamination which may affect the water from which is obtained its Prey.for e.g , a study on pied kingfisher revealed that spraying of Organochlorine insecticide endosulfan for controlling the tse tse fly,affected feeding rate of pied kingfisher

2.KingFisher is a key indicator of good water quality and healthy eco system.

Survival,threats and danger:-

Kingfisher are very short lived.Many young will not have learned to fish by the time they are driven out of their parents territory.Its id thought that only a half of the fledglings survive more than a week or two.Although only a quarter survive to breed the following year,this is enough to maintain the population.Likewise,only a quarter of adult birds survive from one breeding season to the next.Very few bird live longer than one breeding season.The oldest bird on record was only 7.5 year.
Cold weather and flooding can make fishing difficult resulting in starving of th ebrood, while flooding can also claim many nest.Kingfisher are high up in food chain and therefore extremely vulnerable to build up of chemicals.Industrial pollution and contamination by agricultural run off kills the fish the bird rely on.
Human disturbance of nesting bird is serious problem .If human presence close to a nest prevents these shy birds from entering the nest for too long,the chicks may weaken enough ( either from cold or Hunger ) to stop calling.This makes the parents wrongly assume that they are well fed and will not feed them .As a result, the chicks perish.
Heavy machinery that grades the bank and drains the land destroys many nest each year on 
lowland rivers.persecution to satisfy fashion trends and to provide feathers to fishing flies seems to be well in the past.