The chuckling and slightly sadistic little island bird
Yala National Park
Fun Facts
In captivity, White-throated kingfishers have been noted to rarely drink water (much like an imprisonment hunger strike), although they bathe regularly (hygiene > water). The call of this kingfisher is a chuckling chake-ake-ake-ake-ake. They’re particularly louder during mating season, so if you hear them, give them some privacy!
Did you know?
White-throated kingfishers eat anything from insects, spiders, and reptiles… to other birds! These occasional cannibals carefully spy on their prey from a perch, and then dart out to grab it. The catch is then dashed on a tree branch, or forced to commit suicide by being dropped to its death from a kill-height! Afterwards – almost theatrically, or likened to how we playfully eat M&M’s – they flip their prey in the air, catch it in their beaks, and eat it head first!
Whereabouts
The White-throated Kingfisher is found all over the island, including the hills up to 6000 feet. Seen in gardens, tea estates, and telephone wires along most of the major roads in the country.
