As a scout, I was in the Kingfisher Patrol and had often during camping seen this wonderful bird perching patiently on a branch then scooping down in a splash of colorful wings to catch little fish in the river. Hence I put together my kingfisher stamps here.
(Source: Wikipedia) "Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia. The group is treated either as a single family, Alcedinidae, or as a suborder Alcedines containing three families, Alcedinidae (river kingfishers), Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers), and Cerylidae (water kingfishers). There are roughly 90 species of kingfisher. All have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with little differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests. They consume a wide range of prey as well as fish, usually caught by swooping down from a perch. Like other members of their order they nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into the natural or artificial banks in the ground."JAPAN - Crested Kingfisher -
Megaceryle lugubrisSURINAME - Pygmy kingfisher -
Chloroceryle aeneaBRUNEI - Blue eared kingfisher -
Alcedo menintingSINGAPORE - Stork-billed kingfisher -
Pelargopsis capensisSINGAPORE - White throated kingfisher -
Halcyon smyemensisHONG KONG - Common kingfisher -
Alcedo atthisHONG KONG - White breasted kingfisher - White throated kingfisher -
Halcyon smyrnensisPHILIPPINES - Stork billed kingfisher -
Pelargopsis capensisZIMBABWE - Giant Kingfisher -
Megaceryle maximaSOUTH AFRICA - Natal kingfisher - African pygmy kingfisher -
Ispidina pictaNEW ZEALAND - Sacred kingfisher -
Todiramphus sanctusNEW ZEALAND - Kotare - Sacred kingfisher -
Todiramphus sanctusAUSTRALIA - Laughing Kookaburas -
Dacelo novaeguineae Remember the camping song,
"Kookabura sits on the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he, laugh kookabura laugh, kookabura, king of the old gum tree"AUSTRALIA
- Azure kingfisher -
Alcedo azurea- Forest kingfisher - Macleay's kingfisher - Blue kingfisher -
Todiramphus macleayii- White tailed kingfisher - Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher -
Tanysiptera sylviaAUSTRALIA - Sacred Kingfisher -
Halcyon sanctaAUSTRALIA - Laughing Kookaburas -
Dacelo novaeguineae AUSTRALIA - Laughing Kookaburas -
Dacelo novaeguineae UNITED KINGDOM - Common kingfisher -
Alcedo atthisMALAYSIA
- Pekaka rimba besar - Rufous collared kingfisher
Halcyon concreta- Pekaka belukar - White throated kingfisher -
Halcyon smymensis- Pekaka bintik bintik - Blue eared kingfisher -
Alcedo meninting- Pekaka rimba - Oriental dwarf kingfisher -
Ceyx enthacus