Sacred Kingfisher

Description:

Too far away for great pics, but c'est la vie! This lovely bird is a sacred kingfisher. A medium-sized kingfisher, it has a turquoise back, turquoise blue rump and tail, buff-white underparts, a broad cream collar, and a broad black eye stripe that extends from the beak to the nape of the neck (not obvious on this bird). Both sexes are similar, although the female is generally lighter with duller upper parts. Juvenile birds are similar to the female, but have varying amounts of rusty-brown edging to feathers on the collar and underparts, and buff edges on the wing coverts. It's a very attractive species.

Habitat:

Natural habitat includes woodlands, mangroves and paperbark forests, tall open eucalypt forests, and melaleuca forests. Common in suburban areas, but won't be found in rainforests or treeless areas. This spotting was in dense native bushland overlooking Piles Creek waterfall and rock pools, Piles Creek Loop walking track in Girrakool National Park, on the NSW Central Coast.