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Topics >
Animal Kingdom
How does a kingfisher
catch its food?
The kingfisher is
the name of a large family of birds found all
over the world; they have large heads and long,
heavy, pointed bills, short legs and short
stubby tails. Their outer and middle toes are
joined together by strong membranes.
The kingfisher may spend long
hours sitting on a branch beside a lake or stream watching
for the small fish that swim near the surface. Then,
sometimes hovering for a moment in midair, the bird dives
after a fish. Kingfishers usually seize their food, but
occasionally they spear fish with their long bills. They
then toss the fish into the air, catch it and swallow it
headfirst. Kingfishers also eat crayfish, frogs, tadpoles,
salamanders and insects.
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