Fun Forest Kingfisher Facts For Kids

Forest kingfishers (Todiramphus macleayii) are small to medium-sized blue kingfisher birds. Also known as bush kingfishers, they are royal blue in color with a white breast, abdomen, and nape.

Their wings have white patches.

Two similar species with slight appearance variations are the Todiramphus chloris, or collared kingfisher, which is bigger and greenish with no white wing patches, and the sacred kingfisher, or Todiramphus sanctus, which again is larger, with buff-brown underparts and no wing patches. Commonly found near tropical or subtropical forests, they prefer areas with swamps and marshes.

The male forest kingfisher searches for nest sites and begins digging at several possible sites. The nests are generally 9.05 in (23 cm) in diameter. They specifically prefer trees with termite nests or cavities, or hollows.

Also known as the Macleay's kingfisher or blue kingfisher, they lay three to six shiny white eggs during their breeding season. The parent Macleay's kingfishers are helped in incubating the eggs and feeding the immature birds by other older birds who bred the previous season.

This process continues, roughly for a month, after which the chick is ready to leave the nest.

Blue kingfishers catch their prey by 'sally pouncing'. That is, they charge at their prey suddenly from a certain height and lands on it with a thud.

If you like what you read, do check out hummingbird facts and the red-backed shrike facts.

Forest Kingfisher Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a forest kingfisher?

The forest kingfisher (Todiramphus macleayii) belongs to the Alcedinidae family. These kingfishers, also known as the Macleay's kingfisher, prey on invertebrates, especially insects, and some amphibians like frogs and tadpoles.

What class of animal does a forest kingfisher belong to?

The forest kingfisher, a native of Indonesia, New Guinea, and coastal Australia, belongs to the class Aves.

How many forest kingfishers are there in the world?

Since the Macleay's, or blue, kingfisher is found in deep tropical and subtropical forests, it is difficult to get their accurate number. There is no fear of this species becoming extinct in the near future. Though their population trend is perceived to be decreasing, the IUCN Red List rates it as of Least Concern.

Where does a forest kingfisher live?

A forest kingfisher (Todiramphus macleayii), as is evident by the name, lives in deep tropical and subtropical dry forests. Moist lowland forests, marshlands, mangrove forests and swamps are a few other regions where you can hope to see these forest kingfishers. Being a native of Australia, they are also commonly found in Melaleuca swamplands.

What is a forest kingfisher's habitat?

The forest kingfisher's range map covers tropical and subtropical forests, vast parts of Australia, and coastal regions of New Guinea. The forest kingfisher is native to Australia and is found along the coastline belting Australia.

Starting from Port Stephens in New South Wales, it extends to Cape York and the Top End of the Northern Territory towards the west. Macleay's kingfishers are also common in Indonesia, Eastern New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

There is one other subspecies of the bird, namely, Todiramphus incinctus, found in coastal eastern and northern Australia from Cape York to the Macleay River in New South Wales.

Who do forest kingfishers live with?

The forest kingfisher (Todiramphus macleayii), commonly known as the Macleay's or blue kingfisher, remains solitary for most of the year until the breeding season. If a male and female kingfisher live in close proximity, they generally merge their territory during the breeding season.

How long does a forest kingfisher live?

The forest kingfisher lives for approximately 15 years.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season of the Macleay's or blue kingfisher, also known as the forest kingfisher (Todiramphus macleayii), is from October to January in Australia, which is when they look for sites to build nests. They prefer sites 13.12-39.37 ft (4-12 m) above the ground where arboreal termites build nests.

They will nest in trees cavities, earthbanks, the roots of fallen trees, and they will also take over a termite nest.

Both sexes aggressively guard their nest. The male birds perch on a high branch defending and challenging constantly. The fledglings are taken care of and fed by the elders for 30 days before they leave the nest.

What is their conservation status?

Though the population trend of the forest kingfisher (Todiramphus macleayii) is decreasing, the IUCN has recorded its status as of Least Concern. Their numbers are decreasing due to the loss of habitat caused by deforestation and the silting of marshlands and swamps.

Forest Kingfisher Fun Facts

What do forest kingfishers look like?

Forest kingfisher's wings are blue, along with their back and tail. They are characterized by a white breast, abdomen, and nape. A white patch also surrounds the eyes.

A black band stretches from the bill to the eyes. The female forest kingfisher has a blue nape. When in flight, a large white patch is visible on the wings, making it look like the bird has white wings.

Its legs and feet are dark gray in color. The iris is dark brown. The bill is black, but the lower mandible, which is long, sharp, and upturned, has a contrasting pink stripe at the bottom.

The signature of a juvenile or an immature forest kingfisher is a dark crown and dull feathers. If it is a young male, the collar appears mottled blue and indistinct.

Todiramphus incinctus, one of the two subspecies of the Macleay's kingfisher, is slightly larger with a greener tinge on its back, a white spot on its wing, and brown irises.

How cute are they?

Its small size, gorgeous colors, and dark brown iris make this bird appear quite cute.

How do they communicate?

They communicate with a shrill 'krree...krree...krree' sound, which can generally be heard at dawn.

How big is a forest kingfisher?

Forest kingfishers are small in size. This species of kingfisher found in the Northern Territory of Australia, New Guinea, and in coastal eastern and northern regions, are small. They are about 8.5-10 in (21.6-25.4 cm) in length compared to the other birds belonging to the species of kingfisher like the belted kingfisher.

How fast can a forest kingfisher fly?

These forest kingfishers, being a predatory species, can fly really fast to catch their prey with its bill and claws and stop it from escaping. Their exact speed has not been documented.

How much does a forest kingfisher weigh?

A male forest kingfisher bird can weigh between 1.1-1.5 oz (31.18-42.52 g), whereas a female generally weighs between 1.0-1.6 oz (28.34 -45.35 g). This makes them lighter than a common kingfisher.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Both the male and female forest kingfishers (Todiramphus macleayii) are commonly called Macleay's or blue kingfishers. There are no sex-specific names given to distinguish a male or female forest kingfisher.

What would you call a baby forest kingfisher?

A baby forest kingfisher is called a chick or a fledgling.

What do they eat?

Blue kingfishers feed on fish, frogs, spiders, and small lizards. Other than that, their diet consists of bugs, beetles, worms, grasshoppers, and insect larvae, just like azure kingfishers. While the forest kingfisher is a potent hunter, it is not known to eat other birds. There is also no information available on how many fishes they consume per day.

Are they poisonous?

There is no mention of forest kingfisher (Todiramphus macleayii) being poisonous.

Would they make a good pet?

Blue kingfishers are a wild species of birds that generally feed on insects, and it is not ideal to keep them as a pet. Forest kingfishers live in a forest, which is where they belong and have their breeding sites. Also, they cannot be tamed and in some countries, it is illegal to keep blue kingfishers as pets.

Did you know...

Its old scientific name was Halcyon macleayi.

This race kills its prey by hitting it against the bark of the tree.

There are 86 species of kingfisher.

A similar species, Alcedo pusilla, is very small and can hardly ever be found.

What is special about the kingfisher bird?

Kingfishers have large heads with long beaks and brown irises. This species often has brightly colored feathers. A stubby tail and short feet are also two main features. There is a slight difference in looks between the male and the female. Most importantly, Macleay's kingfishers generally reside and nest in tropical forests.

Are forest kingfishers endangered?

No, forest kingfishers (Todiramphus macleayii) are not endangered. Still, they are a decreasing species due to the loss of habitat caused due to deforestation and the filling up of marshy lands and swamps. However, over the years, a lot of conservation programs have been undertaken to protect the species at various national parks, namely Kakadu National Park.

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 flycatcher facts and whiskered treeswift facts pages.

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