The kingfisher is a small, beautiful bird, slightly smaller than a starling. Once you see it, you will never confuse it with any other bird. In Kyrgyzstan, kingfishers are especially common on the Sokuluk River at the point where it merges with the Ak-Suu River, downstream from the village of Belovodskoye.
This small bird, with its bright, tropical plumage, immediately attracts attention. It looks like a precious gem. The upper side of its body is dark blue. There is an ochre stripe under the eye. A blue stripe with dark spots stretches from the beak along the sides of the head and neck. The throat and sides of the neck are white, while the sides of the crop are blue. The belly is ochre-red. The tail is blue with black feather shafts. The beak is black, and the legs are flesh-red. The wings are short and wide, and the tail is short and straight-cut. The wing length is 7-8 cm, and the weight is 27-38 g. Males are slightly larger than females. Due to its short tail and disproportionately long beak, the kingfisher's figure appears unbalanced.
The kingfisher is quite a rare nesting bird in Kyrgyzstan. They are most commonly found in the valley part of the republic along steep, bushy, and wooded riverbanks, streams, lakes, ditches, canals, and generally in bodies of water with clean, clear water and calm currents. In the mountains, this bird nests by lakes up to an altitude of about 2000 m.
Kingfishers are also noted in the Tien Shan near Kochkorka along the tributaries of the Chu River. Even if you don't see this bird, you will immediately recognize it by its characteristic chirp made during flight.
Immediately after arriving, the birds begin to build their nests. They nest in steep riverbanks—in burrows. These nests are permanent and serve the birds for several years.
The female and male dig the nest burrow with their beaks, while using their feet to throw the dirt outside. They spend a lot of time digging the burrow, sometimes up to 10-12 days. Kingfishers lay eggs in May-June, usually numbering 6-7, but there can be up to 10 eggs in a nest. The eggs are small, white, and spherical. Both the female and male take turns incubating the eggs. The incubation period is 21 days, similar to that of chickens.
The chicks emerge from the eggs weak, blind, and naked. They can only leave the nest in the fourth week after hatching. Initially, the fledged chicks cannot find food on their own, so their parents continue to feed them for a few more days.
The main food of the kingfisher is fish. Additionally, kingfishers primarily feed on fish no larger than 60 mm, and they also readily eat worms, insects, including dragonfly larvae.
They inhabit all bodies of water.
Not knowing how this kingfisher lives and when it breeds, it was previously thought that they breed in winter, as they were often seen over unfrozen springs. Hence, it seems, the inaccurate name for these birds originated.
