Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala)

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Tara

The Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) has five subspecies:

H. l. acteon (Lesson, R, 1830) – Cape Verde Islands
H. l. leucocephala (Statius Müller, PL, 1776) – Senegal and Gambia to northwest Somalia, north Tanzania and north DR Congo
H. l. semicaerulea (Gmelin, JF, 1788) – south Arabian Peninsula
H. l. hyacinthina Reichenow, 1900 – southeast Somalia to Tanzania
H. l. pallidiventris Cabanis, 1880 – south DR Congo to northwest Tanzania and south to north South Africa

The ones I saw in Zambia would be the last subspecies, H. l. pallidiventris.

As you can see they have a huge range covering most of sub-Saharan Africa. The photos above were taken by me in South Luangwa NP, Zambia.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GREY-HEADED KINGFISHERS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Biodiversity Explorer

VIDEOS

Let’s see what Youtube has. Here’s one from Ghana.

Another one from Gambia.

How about the Kenyan subspecies?

And lastly one from Kruger in South Africa which is the same subspecies as Zambia.

Malachite Kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus)

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Tara

The Malachite Kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus) is a river kingfisher which is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara. It is largely resident except for seasonal climate-related movements. This little beauty is only around 5 inches or 13 cm long so they can only eat small fish or insects.

They have a large range across central and southern Africa so your odds of seeing one is good. They may be small but their brilliant colours make them stand out. I have personally seen them in Mabamba Swamp, Uganda; South Luangwa, Zambia and Kruger NP, South Africa.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MALACHITE KINGFISHERS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

The Guardian

VIDEOS

Malachite kingfishers perched and looking for fish.

Little Kingfisher (Ceyx pusillus)

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Tara

The Little Kingfisher (Ceyx pusillus) is a small and rare kingfisher with a rich blue back and head and a snowy white breast. It has a heavy bill and has a short tail. They aren’t easy to find so I was really happy to see this one on the Yellow Waters Cruise.

They are found mostly on the island of New Guinea but also some small, scattered populations in Australia. Given the remoteness, your best bet is the Yellow Waters Cruise in Kakadu.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LITTLE KINGFISHERS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Oz Animals

VIDEOS

Not many but Laurie Ross has some on YT.

Don’t blink or you will miss this one!

A beautiful bird ready for his close-up!

Azure Kingfisher (Ceyx azureus)

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Tara

The Azure Kingfisher (Ceyx azureus) is a small and very colourful bird, with a stunning deep blue to azure back, a large white to buff spot on side of neck and throat, rufous-buff with some blue-violet streaks on breast and flanks. The colour of these two birds is different but that could be the lighting, I took both photos in Kakadu on the Yellow Waters Cruise.

They have a huge range throughout much of Australia and the island of New Guinea. I saw several in Kakadu and have also seen them on local Brisbane area birding walks.

LEARN MORE ABOUT AZURE KINGFISHERS

VIDEOS

Now you can appreciate the amazing colours of this bird!

Looking for food in the billabong.

Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona)

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Tara

The Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona) is a resident breeding bird in the lowlands of the American tropics from southern Mexico south through Central America to northern Argentina. This large kingfisher breeds by streams.

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These birds have such a large range in South America you are bound to see them in any tropical rainforest near streams. This one was in Cristalino.

amazon kfisher

LEARN MORE ABOUT AMAZON KINGFISHERS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

VIDEO

This one clearly has something to say – probably “Go away and let me eat in peace”!

Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Tara

The Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a carnivorous bird in the kingfisher family Halcyonidae. It is probably the most iconic Australian bird and its distinctive “laugh” is as true blue Aussie as you can get.

They are very clever and more than one picnicker has lost a BBQ steak or bread roll to a swiftly swooping Kookaburra. We have quite a few of them in our suburb and I often wake up to the laugh outside my window and if you walk through any reserve or national park in Queensland, Victoria or NSW you will most likely see Laughing Kookaburras or even have unexpected guests at your picnic!

LEARN MORE ABOUT KOOKABURRAS

VIDEOS

The best video of the laugh was actually filmed at San Diego zoo. It’s kind of hard to predict when a wild one will laugh unless you want to sit there and film until it does. This is how they actually sound in the wild………..or in your backyard! What a wake up call!

Here’s some wild Kookaburras

And just to show you how iconic they are in Australia, here’s a kid’s song about them!

Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Tara

The Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus) is a medium-sized woodland kingfisher that occurs in mangroves, woodlands, forests, and river valleys in Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the western Pacific. In New Zealand the species is also known by its Māori name kōtare.

It is called “sacred” for it was said to be a holy bird for Polynesians, who believed it to have control over the waves. Likewise, the local subspecies of collared kingfisher and other kingfishers in the southwestern Pacific were ascribed venerable power over the ocean.

They have a very large range throughout Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia so odds are good you will find them on most birding trips in these areas. I saw the one above at Mosquito Creek Road, South-east Queensland.

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VIDEOS

Nice close-ups!

White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Tara

The White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) also known as the White-breasted Kingfisher or Smyrna Kingfisher, is a tree kingfisher, widely distributed in Eurasia from Bulgaria, Turkey, West Asia east through the Indian Subcontinent to the Philippines. This kingfisher is a resident over much of its range, although some populations may make short distance movements. It can often be found well away from water where it feeds on a wide range of prey that includes small reptiles, amphibians, crabs, small rodents and even birds. During the breeding season they call loudly in the mornings from prominent perches including the tops of buildings in urban areas or on wires.

They are fun to watch and I saw several in Kithulgala. They were easily seen by their bright blue backs and seemed keen to pose for photos! This one wanted to make sure I got his best side – both of them!

He’s got a beakful!

White-throated Kingfishers have a huge range throughout Central and South-east Asia so it shouldn’t be hard to find an award ticket to get to one of their many habitats.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Naturia

VIDEO

Getting ready for a hot date?

This one was happy to hang around and be filmed.

Mileage Earning Credit Cards – Asia, Latin America, Middle East And Africa Edition

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Tara

There are probably locally based blogs for these areas which would cover how to earn miles from credit card sign up bonuses so what I will do here is create a reference for the major airlines so you can see who partners with what bank, then Google for a local blog that tracks special offers on these cards. No matter which country you live in, always check with American Express as they have the Membership Rewards program available in most countries but the partners vary widely.

A good rule of thumb no matter where you live is to sign up for your local airline’s program (preferably one in Star Alliance or One World) to get credit card miles and any possible points from everyday living such as shopping, phone, internet, petrol, insurance, etc. While you are looking at the credit card pages I linked below, always check for any other “everyday” promos.

Then join the 5 main programs I recommend for eco-tourists as I will be concentrating on these when I post special promos. These programs have the best redemption levels to places where people usually want to go birding and offer the best promos throughout the year.

ASIA

Asians will have a lot of choices as it seems that the main Asian based airlines have partners not only in all Asian countries but some have partners in Australia and the USA as well. The links below will take you to the airline’s credit card page. Also check on FlyerTalk in the airline’s forum as people will usually post any new signup bonuses there. This blogger specifically caters to Indians with mileage earning credit cards and he would be more familiar with that market.