Kingfishers - Martin-pêcheurs

Kingfishers are known for their looks: stocky body; long, thick bill; and striking colors and markings. Many kingfishers are decked out in feathers of bright blue, green, turquoise, red, or gold. Some have splotches, dashes, stripes, or speckles. The dagger-shaped bill often seems too long or too big for the rest of the bird, but it is well designed for capturing food. Most kingfishers have short legs and strong feet, since they spend most of their time perched on a stalk, twig, or branch while keeping an eye out for a meal. Even though they are chunky birds, kingfishers are fast flyers. Some, like pied kingfishers, can even flap their wings fast enough to hover over water.  ere is only one kingfisher in Ontario.

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When a kingfisher catches something too large to swallow, the bird will beat its prey on a branch or rock to kill it. This also breaks its prey's bones and will help break up any hard shell or exoskeleton so the prey can be swallowed more easily. Kingfishers swallow their prey whole, and after digesting their meal, they regurgitate pellets of bones, teeth, fur, and other indigestible material so it does not clog their digestive tract.