NATURE NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 54, 1 September 1934, Page 17

NATURE NOTES

THE KINGFISHER

FEEDING AND BREEDING

HABITS

(By K. H. D. Stidolph, R.A.0.U.)

The kingfisher, one of lifew Zealand's few gaudy birds, is distributed throughout the country but is more numerous in the North Auckland district than elsewhere. There its plumage accins to take on a more brilliant lustre than in- other parts of the country,and its presence adds much interest to the landscape Although occurring in all suitable localities in both islands .it is hardly a common bird except in, the far, north, and it is possible) to travel for a whole day in many districts and perhaps not sec a single representative. It frequents the vicinity -of 'beaches, mud , flats, mangrove swamps, ' riveis, streams, lakes, and lagoons,.and. sometimes may be seen in fields adjacent to water. Several weeks ago, fDr instance, a kingfisher • was discovered perched on a goal post in a playing ground, intent on "watching the movements of a dozen or two blackbirds and thrushes which were gathering food from the rain-sodden ground.' Npw and again the kingfisher flew to the ground perhaps forty or fifty feet away and picked up something, probably a worm. It' always returned in a direct flight to'its perch. Sometimes it took the food unearthed by a blackbird, which always hopped away before the kingfisher reached the scene, "not showing the least inclination to defend its rights. It was a case of intimidation and as soon as a blackbird saw 'the kingfisher coming towards it it turned its back and made off. These" tactics continued until a second kingfisher, appeared on the goal 'post at the other end of the field, but it was immediately chased away by the. first bird. There appears to be considerable misconception about the food of the kingfisher. Contrary to the general belief fish actually form a very small-propor-tion of the food of the average bird. A study of the subject made by Mr. R. A. Falla, of Auckland, shows that 90 per cent, of the birds of this species In the Auckland district live on the banks of tidal creeks and estuaries, where they appear to feed, he states, exclusively on small crabs. The concrete casing of a drain that runs across Hobson Bay, he pointsoourt r is often dotted for its "whole length of over a mile with the pellets of indigestible parts which the bird voids from its crop. One day's collection of these pellets contained the remains-of over a thousand crabs. Birds living in ■inland districts around Auckland, he states, ,are mainly insectivorous. They usually slav the whole year round in one locality" and feed on-whatever insect is most abundant at the. time.. _ Some birds he observed in the Domain appeared to be living on crickets and others varied their diet at different seasons During some months they tvoquently hunted in vegetable gardens, but he could not discover what insects they were taking. Ants often appeared to be tho victims. They seem to prefer larger insects when obtainable, and are frequently seen with dragon-flies and cicadas. He has seen soft-bodied larvae being fed to the nestlings on. several occasions. Mice, li^ras, and small birds are sometimes killed and. eaten. It is seldom that .a kingfisher is seen to take on fishing, and when it does it flops into tho water in * rather awkward fashion. During the breeding season the kingfisher is one of the most interesting birds imaginable. Some, years ago n. pair of kingfishers provided half an hour's entertainment to tn« writer and a friend. The birds -were engaged in making a nesting hole in a dead willow trunk, about ten or twelve feet high. Apparently, the birds had determined that the trunk wouia offer a convenient hole, but the actual site had not been decided on, as five holes were being experimented with. One bird attacked all of them in turn but the other practically confined itself to one hole. The birds invariably took up a position on a ,bough about fifteen feet away and flew straight to the site of the hole, a decided whack being heard as, the . strong bill struck thewood. SomcHmcs the bird would stop at the hole a- I peck away a. few pieces of softer wuod. But the most entertaining part of the performance was the bird's vocal efforts. After the birds settled on. the bough overlooking the trunk they would utter a note like "ewah, ewah, cwah." As the trunk was struck » "chrp-chrp" would .be heard to be followed when returning to the bough by "«r.P; urP-«P, urP-. l"P'. l concluding as the bird settled with * much fainter "chrp." Then the -ewah notes would be repeated before flyanff to tho hole and the whole'performance repeated time and again. Both birds, took part, usually in turns. At last, one flew away, evidently to seek food when its mate, after another dig at th* hole, flew to a bough, called out "qucrk-querk-querk," and also disappeared. Tho kingfisher, if unmolested, apparently returns to the same nesting hold year after-year. The writer was shown, one recently in a willow stump that had been used-for seventeen consecutive years. Tho stump stood in the middle, of a paddock and although a flood: washed it underneath some willows, a considerable distance away from its oriEinal site the birds continued to usei the hole and to rear their broods successfully. A dead tree trunk is th« site usually chosen for a nest, but a convenient hole in a bank is also utilised on occasions. The. nesting hole is slightly hollowed .out at the back, where the roundish shaped white eggs are deposited, five or six eggs usually forming a clutch.