This is a featured photo of the month. I will try and update this monthly with a favorite photo.
Common Name: Common Kingfisher
Scientific Name: Alcedo atthis
Date Taken: March 15, 2015
Location: Ban Nayat, Udon Thani, Thailand
Photographer: Howard Cunningham
Common Kingfishers are found across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. They prefer clean, slow-moving or still freshwater: streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and canals. They need vertical earthen banks for nesting holes. They are famous for hovering briefly before plunging headfirst into the water. Their diet consists of mostly small fish (sticklebacks, minnows), and aquatic insects and small crustaceans. They excavate a tunnel in a riverbank and lay 5–7 glossy white eggs. Both parents incubate and feed the chicks.
