Giant Kingfisher
This, the largest of our kingfishers, has become a frequent
visitor to garden fishponds in many parts of South Africa, especially where
properties border quiet rivers. It has a
voracious appetite and will often attempt to seize a fish too large for it to handle. On the other hand, on rivers it consumes many
crabs as well as fish.
The Giant Kingfisher is unmistakable, with dark plumage,
large crested head and massive bill; the male with a chestnut breast and female
with a chestnut belly.
The Giant Kingfisher breeds August-January and excavates a
tunnel a meter or more in length in a riverbank. A chamber is excavated at the far end in
which three to five eggs are laid. It is
known that both parents feed the young while they are in the nest and for some
time after fledging.
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