Cranesbill Kingfisher

Cranesbill Kingfisher

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The Stork-billed Kingfisher(Pelargopsis capensis) is one of the largest kingfisher species with a body length of around 35 cm and is found in India and South-East Asia, as far as Bali and Lombok.
It owes its name to its extremely large, bright red beak. Also characteristic are its very long red legs for a kingfisher, as well as its light brown coloured head and its green-blue coloured wings and back. Its preferred habitat is mangrove forests and rainforests in close proximity to the coast or freshwater habitats such as rivers and lakes.
This kingfisher, also known as the gurial, feeds mainly on fish and other aquatic animals such as insects, frogs and crayfish. It also feeds on lizards, small mammals and birds. When hunting, it uses a perch near the surface of the water and then pounces on its prey from two to four metres, which it then brings back to its lookout. Once there, it hurls the prey several times against a branch or something similar to immobilise it. The cranesbill kingfisher's enormously large, long and powerful beak helps it to do this.
The gurial breeds between January and September. The nest is a cave dug by both parents into a bank or an old termite mound. From time to time, tree hollows are also used as nests. The parents are strictly monogamous and territorial. They do not shy away from attacking large birds such as white-tailed eagles. The female lays between 2 and 5 eggs in the nest chamber, which is located at the end of a tunnel up to one metre long.
Due to its large distribution area, the population of the cranesbill kingfisher is not yet endangered. However, its range appears to be shrinking due to habitat destruction. On Bali and Lombok there are said to be hardly any specimens left.