5 Fact About The Kingfisher

What's up everybody, welcome back to the wild side. You know that feeling when you're stood beside a river for ages and nothing's happening, but suddenly a flash of electric blue shoots past. And that can only mean one thing, the kingfisher. And honestly, I don't think there's another bird in the UK that gets wildlife watchers more excited than these little rockets. So in this video, I'll explain why kingfishers are so special and share some incredible facts about them, and hopefully help you spot one for yourself in the future. And if you enjoy British wildlife and nature videos like these, hit subscribe because there's plenty more coming. Now, despite looking almost tropical, kingfishers are found right across the UK, usually along rivers, canals, lakes and slow moving streams. But seeing one can often be a completely different story. You can spend hours waiting and miss it in seconds. We've all been there. They're pretty small birds too, and only about the size of a sparrow, but somehow they look impossible to ignore. That bright electric blue back, the orange underside, and that sharp dagger-like beak made them one of the most recognisable birds in Britain. And here's your first fact about kingfishers. That blue colour isn't actually caused by blue pigment. The feathers reflect light in a way that creates that metallic blue glow, which is why they can look completely different depending on the light and the angle you see them from. And it's just unreal when the sun catches them properly. Most kingfishers stay very close to the water because fish make up the majority of their diet. They'll usually sit quietly on a branch overhanging the river, watching the water beneath them, and then suddenly dive headfirst at speed. And they are seriously good at it. Fact number two, kingfishers successfully catch prey in over half of their dives from a perch. That's an unbelievable success rate considering they're targeting tiny fish underwater from above the surface. Once they catch something, they'll usually fly back to the perch and whack the fish against the branch before swallowing it whole. Always headfirst. Who'd want to be a fish? And because they burn through so much energy flying and hunting all day, fact number three, a kingfisher needs to eat around 60% of its body weight every single day, which explains why they're incredibly territorial, especially during winter when food becomes harder to find. You'll often hear one before you see it too, and they have this really sharp, high-pitched whistle that cuts through the sound of running water. Take a listen. Once you learn it though, it's one of the best clues that there's a kingfisher nearby. One thing that makes them such incredible hunters is their accuracy underwater. Before diving, you'll often see them bobbing their heads up and down to judge depth and distance. And this leads to fact number four. The shape of a kingfisher's beak actually inspired the design of Japanese bullet trains. Scientists realized the bird could enter water with barely any splash, so engineers copied the aerodynamic shape of the kingfisher's head. Another successful example of biomimicry that made the trains 10% faster and more energy efficient. When breeding season arrives, kingfishers become incredibly secretive. From around February onwards, males will start offering fish to females as part of courtship, and once paired, both birds dig a nesting tunnel into the riverbank. Fact number five. Kingfisher nesting tunnels can be around 60 centimeters or two feet deep. At the end of that tunnel, the female lays about five to eight white eggs, and both parents work non-stop bringing fish back to the chicks. The chicks grow fast, sometimes leaving the nest in just over three weeks. The parents only feed them for a few more days before telling them you're on your own now, and then almost immediately they'll start preparing for the next brood. A successful pair of kingfishers can raise two or even three clutches in a single year. What's quite sad though is despite how fast and energetic they are, kingfishers don't tend to live very long. Most survive around two years in the wild, especially during harsh winters when frozen water makes fishing difficult. Although some have lived much longer, with the oldest recorded kingfisher reaching an incredible 21 years old. And that's a bonus fact. But honestly, I think that's part of what makes every sighting feel special. You never really forget your first kingfisher, and that reaction is always the same. Complete amazement. Because no matter how many times you see one, it still feels special every single time. If you enjoyed this video, let me know in the comments if you've ever seen a kingfisher before, or if you're still waiting on your first sighting. And if you want more wildlife content like this, check out the next video and subscribe so you don't miss future adventures. Thanks for watching, and I'll catch you in the next one. Catch. Fishing. See what I did there.