Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea
Azure Kingfisher, Wye Valley, Victoria, Australia, March 2006 - click for larger image Wye Valley, Victoria, Australia
February 2006

The Azure Kingfisher is distributed in northern, eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania and in Papua New Guinea and nearby islands. It is found on rivers inland and on the coast as well as creeks and lagoons but it requires wooded banks on which to perch while fishing.

It is a deep royal blue above with white tufts behind the "ears", a buffy spot in front of the eyes, orange-rufous below, a black bill with whitish tip and red legs. The male has a violet wash on its flanks which makes me think that this bird is a female.
Previous Page Back to Index Next Page
If you do not see a menu on the left, you may have arrived at this page from another site. Please click Home to get to my main page.