Birds in Taiwan

Endemic Species

Collared Bush-Robin

Flamecrest

Formosan Magpie

Formosan Whistling-Thrush

Mikado Pheasant

Steere's Liocichla

Styan's Bulbul

Swinhoe's Pheasant

Taiwan Barwing

Taiwan Bush-Warbler

Taiwan Partridge

Taiwan Yuhina

White-eared Sibia

White-whiskered Laughingthrush

Yellow Tit

Endemic Sub-Species

Alpine Accentor

Black-browed Barbet

Black-naped Monarch

Black Bulbul

Black Drongo

Common Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

The Common Kingfisher is a small (15 cm.) kingfisher with a pale bright blue back, darker greenish-blue wings, a bluish head barred black, chestnut underparts and white throat.  There is a chestnut patch below the eye, and a small white patch on the side of the neck.  The feet are bright red, and the bill is black in males, while females have a reddish lower mandible.

The Common Kingfisher prefers freshwater habitats such as ponds, streams, rivers, lakes and marshes.  It perches on a low branch over the water, watching for its prey, which consists mainly of small fish, but also tadpoles and aquatic insects.  When it sees a fish, it plunges into the water to catch it.  It will also hover above the water to spot fish below.  The Common Kingfisher makes sharp “chi-chee, chi-chee” calls as it flies off, low over the water, from one perch to another.  Common Kingfishers nest in tunnels which they dig into the bank of a stream;  the tunnel may be 0.5 to 1 meter in length, ending in a widened chamber where the female lays 5 to 7 pure white, roundish eggs.  Both sexes share in domestic duties.  The Common Kingfisher is a common year-round resident of Taiwan below 1200 meters.

References:  A Field Guide to the Birds of China (Mackinnon and Phillipps); The Complete Guide to Birds in Taiwan (Jin-yuan Wang)