In Queensland, we have eight different types of Kingfishers, only two of which are not found in Central Queensland.
In previous columns, I have already covered the Sacred Kingfisher, the Mangrove Kingfisher also known as the Collared Kingfisher, the Buff Breasted Paradise Kingfisher and the Azure Kingfisher.
Of the two members that are not in CQ, the Yellow-billed is only found in the Cape York Peninsula while the Little Kingfisher is also there but its range does extend a little further south.
Common all down our eastern coastline to just over the NSW border and extending inland to the ranges of the Great Divide is the Forest Kingfisher.
This bird lives in the bushland, forests and scrubs and even in swampy country and mangroves.
I found a pair of Forest Kingfishers that had built their nest in a termites’ nest on the side of a tree about four metres above the ground.
The nest itself was facing a wide creek which would have been about half full at the time.
It seemed an ideal option to choose as the birds could land on a branch which was hanging over the water, giving them a much better chance of evading predators.
It seemed to have a variety of food items but the one that I have noticed as most caught by these birds, were larger insects like the dragonfly in the illustration.
Quite a few Dragonflies as well as Jacky Lizards were brought back for the chicks as were some smaller insects as well.
The final member of the Group of Eight Kingfishers in Queensland is the Red-backed Kingfisher.
This bird is a similar size to the Forest Kingfisher but has blue-green stripes along the top of the head and reddish colour on the rump and upper tail.
