- Many of the world’s kingfishers don’t eat fish and rarely go near water.
- The kingfisher doesn’t have a song.
- Many young kingfishers die within days of fledging, their first dives leaving them waterlogged so they end up drowning.
- Females can lay up to 10 eggs per clutch. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs for three to four weeks until they hatch.
- They inspired the design of bullet trains in Japan
- They reach a length of 20cm
- The young kingfishers fledge after around 23 to 27 days.
- During migration, they can travel 3000km
- For the Dusun people of Borneo, the Oriental dwarf kingfisher is considered a bad omen, and warriors that see one on the way to battle should return home.
- Many species are almost extinct. Click here for more bird facts