Scientific Name: Alcedo azurea
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Genus: Alcedo
At a Glance: 
As the name implies, Azure Kingfishers are beautiful blue birds which fish for their food. They also have black accent feathers, a white to golden underbelly, and white spots (which are possibly there to confuse and ward off predators). These white spots are found in between the eyes and the beak, as well as on the back of the neck.
Their bright orange feet have three toes each. Two of these toes point forward and one points backward.
They have a soft, high-pitched whistle, very short tails, and large beaks which are black except for the very tip which is white.
They are designed to be able to dive headlong and deep into the water in order to catch their prey, and then quickly return to their perch to eat their food.
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Average Size:
6.7 in.-7.5 in. (17-19 cm.)
Babies:
Both the mother and father dig a tunnel for nesting in. They dig it in the bank by the water where they fish. These tunnels are sometimes 27.6 in. (70cm.) long.
Usually, 4-7 eggs are laid at a time. Both parents will help incubate the eggs which will hatch in about 3 weeks. The baby birds are able to fly 4-4½ weeks after they are hatched.
Diet:
Small crustaceans such as yabbies (an Australian crayfish), small fish, aquatic insects, and tadpoles.
Home:
It perches in the overhanging branches of lakes, swamps, rivers, lagoons, and other bodies of water while looking for prey. It is native to the lowlands of New Guinea, Northern and Eastern Australia, the Australian island of Tasmania, and other islands near these.
For some more photographs of this beautiful bird see the following links:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dadegroot/5623489159/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12935621@N02/3734080977/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/natureduderx/3227553151/
Much of the information found in this article was researched at the following sites:
http://www.redmillhouse.com.au/birds/azure_kingfisher.html
http://australian-animals.net/king.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azure_Kingfisher
http://rainforest-australia.com/azure_kingfisher.htm
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Azure-Kingfisher
Copyright © 2012 Joanna Corley & Dabble Magazine, LLC.
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