Not All Kingfishers Fish!

Kingfishers are conspicuous birds in the Lowveld thanks to their bright colours and noisy, active habits. There are ten species that occur in southern Africa of which nine occur in the Lowveld (seven commonly so). They vary in size from the minute 12 cm pygmy kingfisher to the 45 cm large Giant kingfisher.

Kingfishers enjoy well-wooded areas in the vicinity of water but not all kingfishers fish! The Malachite, Giant, and Pied kingfishers are piscivores (fish-eaters) while the Striped, Woodlands, Brown-hooded and Pygmy kingfishers eat invertebrates including insects, lizards, frogs and even snakes, scorpions, rodents and the occasional bat. Insects are often more numerous in the vicinity of water and proximity to water is advantageous for hygiene purposes too.

MONDAY 21 JULY 2025

Currently I am working on a 3 image series on King Fisher Brids.  I love the amazing colors on these birds and it is something new to me.

I have not painted many birds in the past, and to be honest, the feathers scare me a little. I started with the bird in flight to get the most difficult one done and build confidence for the other two.