Bird of the week
Woodland Kingfisher

Although the Woodland Kingfisher is a member of the ‘dryland’ kingfishers and not generally associated with water, I was happy to see that it had not lost its skill of hunting for food in ‘true’ kingfisher fashion. I was watching this bird in the garden one morning when it suddenly flew off and dived into the swimming pool, re-emerging with a young red toad in its bill. The bird returned to its perch with its prey, where it repeatedly beat the frog against the branch before swallowing it head first. After the frog disappeared down its throat, the bird shook itself vigorously and then, with the morning’s first priority taken care of, began painstakingly preening its wet feathers.
Merlin Wilsenach

www.merlinwilsenach.co.za
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