Kingfishers (Raja Udang)

 The birds we know as kingfishers- that is, ‘king of fishers’ are called raja udung in Malay - that is, ‘king of prawns.’  Both names suggest an aquatic diet.  It is true that some kingfishers do live beside streams or in wetlands and eat mostly fish.  However others live in open lightly forested areas and eat mainly slow-moving invertebrates and small vertebrates: amphibians, reptiles, rodents and even other birds.  Biologists call the first type (with about 35 species) ‘river kingfishers’ and the second majority type (with about 70 species) ‘tree kingfishers.’

A 'river kingfisher' perched about 50 cm above the water waiting to ambush fish, crustaceans and aquatic insect larvae such as dragonfly nymphs.

The collared kingfisher (in Malay, pekaka bakau), a tree kingfisher.  

Almost all kingfishers are brightly coloured plump short-legged birds with large heads and long pointed bills.  One might expect the tail to be long, as a counterbalance, but it is generally short. Males and females have similar appearances, unlike songbirds where the male is generally much more colourful than the female.  Most are ‘watch-and-wait’ or ambush hunters.  They swoop onto prey from a perch; often directly, but sometimes hovering briefly.  

River kingfishers are smaller than tree kingfishers.  These kingfishers defend a territory as a pair and build a nest in a burrow which they excavate together in a stream bank about 50 to 100 cm above the stream.  Sometimes termite mounds or semi-rotted trees are used instead.  Burrows in stream banks can be as much as 1 metre long; six times as long as the bird itself.  Two to seven eggs are onto the bare nest surface.  Mother and father take turns to incubate the eggs and both feed the chicks.  The incubating parent and hatchlings can be killed by cave-ins of the nest.  Juveniles disperse after the breeding season and usually have to wait a year or more before they can establish their own territory.  This is especially true when wetland habitat is decreasing worldwide and no unoccupied territory is available.  There is speculation - but little evidence- that some of these sub-adults might remain in the parents’ territory and assist in raising the next brood.  

The blue-eared kingfisher (in Malay, raja udang binti-binti or berbinti) 

The blue-eared kingfisher is generally found in well-shaded waterways.  Usually this means forested areas; however, open parkland with streams edged by trees or shrubs will suffice.  Although reasonably common, they are rarely seen as they are small birds that perch inconspicuously.  Look for shaded twigs a metre or less from the water’s surface.  Males and females are very similar.  One difference is that the bill of the male tends to be darker, almost black.  Females tend to have more reddish bills.  Juveniles, of both sexes, bear a resemblance to females but lack the blue ear that gives the species its name.  Hence, the bird in the above photograph is likely an juvenile male.