DANGEROUSLY DAPPER

White-throated Kingfisher

The White -throated Kingfisher, with its back and wings of brilliant turquoise, brilliant white chest and throat, and a rich chestnut head, is one bird in India that does not allow itself to be ignored. 

This dangerously dapper bird is one of the more showy non-migratory residents at the Ashram. Large at 27 - 28 cm, the kingfisher is less reliant on aquatic habitats than many kingfishers. Our showy friend can often be seen in the late afternoons perched on a power line behind the main buildings surveying the fallow fields below for a large variety of prey.
Now and then he explodes in a flash of turquoise wings, drops to the ground and nabs some unsuspecting prey such as large insects, small reptiles, amphibians, small rodents or even an occasional bird.

This visit the kingship was less than cooperative and stayed a long ways away from my lens. I included a couple of images I took last time I was here, because you just have to see the kingfisher’s stunning wings out stretched.
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Learn more at www.iucnredlist.org/details/22725846/0

White-throated Kingfisher _Feb 2018 _Shri Jasnath Asan, Rajasthan

White-throated Kingfisher Jan 2017