Page 188 - An Anthology of Intriguing Animals (DK)
P. 188
Kingfisher
A ll you will see when the common kingfisher speeds past is
a blur of blue. To catch fish, the kingfisher waits on a branch,
watching. Its amazing eyes can see under the shiny surface of the
water. Suddenly, it dives. A second or two later, it’s back on its
branch with a fish in its beak. It swallows its fish head first, so the
spines and scales slip down easily.
In Ancient Greece, it was said that kingfishers built nests that
floated on the sea like magic, but really these birds dig burrows in
riverbanks to raise their chicks in. The floor of their tunnel ends up
carpeted in fishbones!
Not all kingfishers go near water. Many live in tropical
forests and eat frogs, lizards, and insects, not fish.
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