Photo Credits: pg 3- anchor
Be it the KTC bus stand of Panaji or the forests of Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, one eye catching and prominent bird that is ever visible throughout Goa is the White-throated Kingfisher () called Khandya in Marathi.
This common bird belongs to the tree kingfisher family (Halcyonidae) which is the most diverse group within the kingfishers. This species is a conspicuous and large bird with red legs and large red coloured beak. The back is bright turquoise blue, the lower belly is chocolate brown with the throat white and hence is named the White-throated Kingfisher.
The range of this species spreads from the Middle East till the extreme South-East Asia. There are four subspecies that have been recognized till date and the Indian subspecies is named “”.
This species has a very wide range of habitat preference and can be found in Goa right from the coast line till forested patches of Western Ghats. Unlike its name, the White-throated Kingfisher is not a specialist hunter of fishes. It has a wide range of diet which includes small insects to small sized birds. They usually hunt singly and sometimes in pairs, perched upright on high ground surveying its surroundings for prey. It is very amusing to observe them hunt especially when it flicks its tail up and down, bobbing its head like a spring toy. Once it spots a potential prey, the bird swoops to the ground instantly and picks it up. After returning to a comfortable perch, it will batter the prey to pulp before gobbling it up.
Each bird maintains its feeding territory and will actively defend it. During breeding season, which is between April and July in Goa, the male will sit high on a perch and will sing to his heart’s content to attract females. This song is a shrill musical and long drawn “ while the normal call is a loud rattling “” often uttered in flight. They nest usually in the banks of dry streams and “” adjoining fields and wetlands in Goa. Males and females both take care of the young birds feeding them mainly with insects.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed this species as least conservation priority due to its healthy population. Their population in Goa is fairly good and day counts can vary between eight to ten individuals in a large wetland like Caramboli-Dhado. Goa is blessed with eight species of kingfishers which form an important food-chain link of our wetlands.
On January 17 and 24, GBCN will conduct the All Goa Waterbird Count which will help in estimating the population of these species more accurately.
Images: Conrad Miguel Braganza and Sweta Desai
