Common Kingfisher: Alcedo atthis (Chotta Kilkila, Neeka Kilkila)



Common Indian Kingfisher
Alcedo atthis

 

Common Kingfisher - what a misleading prefix for the most beautiful Kingfisher! This sparrow sized glittering jewel of a Kingfisher has proved an elusive bird for me unlike its larger White-throated cousin. Until 29th December that is.

 

This was an accidental spotting - my first - as I was far out on an abrasive rotting limb of a fallen tree overhanging a lake in a marshy part of Keoladeo chasing reclusive Night Herons hidden in the brambles on the banks. Gabru Parmanand, my mentor at Keoladeo, was rather worried at my antics for he felt there was a certain amount of danger involved. His veteran eye too had missed this beauty. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted this lovely distraction as I lined up the herons in my viewfinder.

 

It has a blue back and rump with rusty brownish underfeathers and a white patch at the throat. It's ear coverts are rusty red.

 

It darts down wooded streams and lakes and when sun rays catch the feathers, it looks like a sparkling gem skimming the waters. This one caught a fish in one such swoop, but I couldn't move a centimeter to change my position for fear of falling into the lake or breaking the rotting tree branch I was perched upon.

 

Photographed at Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India on 29th December, 2013.

 

Camera used: Nikon D5100 DSLR with AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm VR Lens