King of the fish hunters. The kingfisher's plumage can be easily compared to royal robes. This bird is the perfect fish hunter.
The kingfisher is one of the most beautifully colored birds. When it flies over the water, it resembles a shimmering blue-turquoise streak. The colors on the bird's back are so dazzling, that no words, to describe them. Some even talk about "kingfisher blue". The kingfisher's breast and tummy glow with an orange color.
The English refer to the kingfisher as kingfisher – king of the fish hunters. In old legends, contacts with the gods were attributed to the kingfisher. Immediately after the Flood, Noah sent a kingfisher, to steal a burning twig from the gods. On the way, a brave bird rubbed against lightning, which left a mark on his back, and the smoldering twig "burned" his belly and chest orange. Many attentive anglers have had the opportunity to admire the kingfisher more than once, because contrary to popular belief, this species is quite common in our waters. Last year, I watched a kingfisher by a small river near Hamburg, literally a few kilometers from the big city.
The kingfisher, of course, only eats fish throughout its life. They are always live fish. An English nature scientist once noticed kingfishers hunting in a small pond. Taking all precautions, he began to "throw" small newts at them, north, dragonfly larvae and rosettes. The kingfishers ignored everything but rosaries. After eating all the rose worms, they flew away to hunt elsewhere. The kingfisher's favorite food is bullheads, for which this winged hunter can leave all the other fish alone. The same scientist once "threw" a kingfisher with a "choice" rose, slips and bullheads. The bird immediately attacked the bullhead, although the fish was much too big for him. After a successful hunt, the kingfisher suffered as much as possible 13 minutes, before he managed to swallow such a large prey. Apart from bullheads, kingfishers love to eat stickleback.
These birds hunt fish all their lives, no wonder then, that they have mastered this craft perfectly. Adult kingfishers only get "boxes" once in five attacks. Although he is such a brave fish hunter, its prey is not too big. This bird can handle fish up to 8 cm (half the length of the kingfisher's body).
The research of ornithologists shows, that during the day the kingfisher eats approx 17 fish with a total weight 45 g. This is equivalent to 1.2 times the bird's body weight. Willing to keep the full form, the kingfisher must eat at least as many fish a day, how much he weighs. Anglers certainly do not regret the winged hunter of these few fish. The sight of the kingfisher is after all; a good omen. Tam, where these lovable birds hunt, there is enough fish for anglers too. So we wish our little competitors a break… beaks.