Fun Collared Kingfisher Facts For Kids

The collared kingfisher, split into 50 subspecies, bears a resemblance to the Guam kingfisher (Todiramphus cinnamominus), sacred kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus), chattering kingfisher (Todiramphus tutus), and Talaud kingfisher (Todiramphus enigma). These all belong to the Alcedinidae family. Todiramphus chloris can be located in places like south-eastern and southern Asia, northern Australia, New Guinea, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and other adjoining areas. This species has derived its name from its appearance with a white collar that covers its neck. However, exploitative human activities such as coastal development projects, the transformation of mangroves, and the demolition of forests have severely impacted their foraging and nesting habitat. The population of kingfishers on islands that continuously undergo infrastructural developments for attracting tourists has been affected.

Do you know that these birds are focused on maintaining personal hygiene and cleanliness? They can often be spotted enjoying a bath by splashing into the nearby river or lake water, followed by drying and preening their feathers in bright sunlight. They rub their beaks against the branch of a tree and sometimes use their wings to clean the head. This is the secret to their pristine appearance!

Here are some more interesting facts about the malachite kingfisher and the blue-eared kingfisher.

What type of animal is a collared kingfisher?

The collared kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) is a species of bird belonging to the Alcedinidae family.

What class of animal does a collared kingfisher belong to?

Categorized under the Todiramphus genus, collared kingfishers belong to the class Aves.

How many collared kingfishers are there in the world?

The population distribution of this species is wide-ranging within its geographical range. Nevertheless, there is a lack of numerical evidence regarding the population size of these birds. A decreasing trend has been witnessed due to habitat loss. The clearing of mangrove forests, especially in the small islands, has fragmented the population.

Where does a collared kingfisher live?

Todiramphus chloris can be found flying around the Red Sea as well as the Arabian Gulf ranging from south-eastern and southern Asia to northern Australia, New Guinea, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Samoa.

What is a collared kingfisher's habitat?

The habitat range of collared kingfishers includes several coastal regions like tidal areas, mudflats, sandy beaches, harbors, and mangroves. In South-East Asia, they can also be spotted among coconut plantations. These birds prefer to inhabit mangroves but can be found in grasslands, gardens, forests, and rural gardens along streams and rivers. They prefer to inhabit locations with tropical or arid-type climates.

Who do collared kingfishers live with?

During the breeding period, these kingfishers dwell in solitary pairs. They mostly prefer to remain unaccompanied, roosting solitarily.

How long does a collared kingfisher live?

This mangrove kingfisher can survive for 6-11 years in the wilderness.

How do they reproduce?

Although very little information is available about the breeding behavior of the tree kingfisher species, these birds are known to be monogamous. The breeding season extends from December until August. Both the males and females engage in courtship flights, pursuing each other. To please the female, a male offers a fish to its counterpart. After forming pairs, they copulate. The nest is usually built inside an abandoned woodpecker's hole, tree trunk, or termite's nest. The nest area is defended aggressively from intruders. The incubation period lasts for 18 days. A clutch consists of three to seven eggs.

What is their conservation status?

The collared kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) has been listed under the Least Concern category according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. These birds are plentiful within their geographical range.

What do collared kingfishers look like?

Todiramphus chloris is a sturdy, medium-sized bird. The collared kingfisher color primarily ranges from blue to green feathers on the upperpart with buff or white underparts. Some variations of the species come with a white streak right above the eyes. The bird has a large, black bill. The prominent white collar around the neck gives a unique identity to the species. In comparison, the rufous-collared kingfisher exhibits a rufous collar, green cap, and a black eye band. The females are slightly bulkier than the males, with a darker green shade on their backs. On the other hand, the blue hue in males is more pronounced.

How cute are they?

In general, the vibrant plumage of these kingfishers offers them a glamorous appearance. Anyone would fall for a kingfisher at the very first sight!

How do they communicate?

The common collared kingfisher calls include a loud, harsh 'kip-kip-kiup' and a high-pitched 'kreeeep'. The alarm call sounds like 'kick kyeew-kick kyew' while a harsh 'cack-cack-cack' territorial song has also been identified. Although the laughing kookaburra is famous for its laughing calls, repetitive laughing calls like 'kee-kee-kee' have been identified with these kingfishers.

How big is a collared kingfisher?

The average length of Todiramphus chloris falls within the range of 9.1-9.8 in (23-25 cm). In comparison, the half-collared kingfisher is much smaller, measuring around 7.1 in (18 cm) in length.

How fast can a collared kingfisher fly?

Although the speed range of this species cannot be stated due to lack of proper description, it is well known that kingfishers, in general, are capable of flying at a swift pace reaching a speed of 25 mph (40 kph). Sharp flaps of their wings help them in this. The upper elevation limit of the species has been recorded at 4,921 ft (1,500 m).

How much does a collared kingfisher weigh?

This kingfisher species,Todiramphus chloris, weighs about 1.9-3.5 oz (51-90 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Like any other bird species, male and female kingfishers are called cocks and hens, respectively.

What would you call a baby collared kingfisher?

A baby kingfisher is referred to by the common name chick. It can also be called a nestling or hatchling.

What do they eat?

Collared kingfishers indulge in a carnivorous diet comprising insects, crustaceans, small snakes, small birds, small fish, and mice. The birds residing near coastal areas tend to feed on small fish, shrimp, and crabs, while the inland ones prey on insects, small snakes, frogs, earthworms, spiders, and land crabs. They rarely prey on bird eggs, chicks, and mice. The bird is known to be extremely patient while waiting for its prey but once caught, the prey is brutally injured and killed before consumption. The bill is as hard and sharp as a dagger that works perfectly in forking out fish adeptly.

Are they dangerous?

Kingfisher birds are aggressive predators as well as the younger members of the species. They're also hostile towards other competitive males.

Would they make a good pet?

 Rearing wild birds like kingfishers is illegal in several countries.

Did you know...

Do you know that the actual color of these kingfishers is not due to the blue pigmentation? If you trace a flying collared kingfisher, you'll notice that the coloration changes from blue to green. This is because only the wavelength of blue feathers is reflected. The blue in males is more dominant than that of their counterparts.

Is the collared kingfisher native to Singapore? 

The medium-sized white-collared kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) is endemic to Singapore. Interestingly, the adults possess a white-collar, but the juveniles come with a broad black collar. They have a large, black bill. The flat-billed kingfisher, in comparison, has a short, flattened bill.

How many fish does a kingfisher eat?

The chicks can devour around 12-18 small fishes daily, while the adults are capable of catching and feeding on 120 fishes per day using their swift wings. Fishes like sticklebacks and minnows are typically consumed. However, kingfishers with larger beaks also feast on large fish. This species is not just limited to a fish diet as a large variety of crustaceans are also consumed.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our long-billed corella facts and Mangrove hummingbird facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable striped kingfisher coloring pages.

Second image by JJ Harrison