Back to front Azure Kingfisher

When I’m out and about with new birders, or receive requests to help identify birds, my responses are sometimes immediate while other times it can take quite a few questions to work it out.

If someone described an Azure Kingfisher as it looks in the photograph above it would be a pretty quick ID. They are exquisite birds with a truly beautiful blend of azure blue and warm orange from the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes. Most people would recognise the species as a small kingfisher – I absolutely love watching them as they plunge into water for their prey.

But an observer might only see the bird from the back, and as these kingfishers are often in shady, riparian areas even their beautiful blues could appear black, and maybe they’re facing away and the observer doesn’t see the bright orange of their underparts. It’s not just novice birders who can be confused by what they see, today I grabbed my binoculars to check out a strange bird at the birdbath only to find it was a daily visitor… a Red Wattlebird that at first glance looked much darker and larger than usual.

Happy birding, Kim

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