Chapter 9: White-throated Kingfisher

In the small jungle that I mentioned in my earlier posts, I also encountered the White-throated Kingfisher. My mom and I often call it "the saint of the bird world". I don't know if it truly is a saint of the bird world, but it surely does behave like one.

You don't believe me, do you? Now look at the picture above, one might think that this kingfisher moved just moments after capturing this pic. Well, that is where you are wrong. In all of my visits to that forest, I always found the Kingfisher sitting quietly over the garbage pits or one of the nearby trees. Just like saints meditate for hours and hours, secluded from the rest of the world, this Kingfisher too sits quietly in some corner away from all the disturbances for hours.

 

The only difference between the two is that saints meditate to achieve a state of higher consciousness, whereas Kingfishers do it to catch prey. They silently observe all the movements in their surroundings and then make use of the most favorable opportunity in a quick movement. Their sharp bill helps them in making the most of every chance they get. And I have actually witnessed this scene. Unfortunately, it happened so fast that I couldn't capture it. The Kingfisher was sitting on a branch in front of me, occasionally observing me; suddenly it took a leap on a lizard and before I could process all of this, it had already gulped the lizard.

Also, you might wanna check out the Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher - the jewel of Konkan. It's absolutely beautiful and just like its name, very tiny. Here is a picture of this cutie (image credits: Harshad Barve, obtained from Google).

Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher

But till I get a chance to observe this tiny one, enjoy watching this video on White-throated Kingfisher. Also, don't forget to observe the cute tail wagging😆. Happy Birding!!