Collared Kingfisher, Part l - courtship and nest-seeking

 It’s another first for the Taman as a pair of Collared Kingfishers decided to nest here.

The Collared Kingfishers are infrequent visitors to the taman, hard to ignore over the years, with their unmistakable sharp calls.

Loud and aggressive, the pair first announced their intention to nest with their sharp and continuous calls as they checked out different trees and cavities for potential nests, chasing and threatening any resident birds like mynas, and even squirrels, that came close to a potential cavity nest.

Spotting their initial presence in the taman in mid-April, it would be almost 2 months later when they were sighted feeding chick/s inside their chosen site.

And so it began.

A pause, and tender moments.

Hardly 10 minutes later.

AI overview:

Collared kingfishers copulate through a rapid, highly coordinated "cloacal kiss" on a tree branch. Because they lack external genitalia, the physical transfer of sperm relies entirely on the precise, brief contact of their cloacas. The actual act of copulation lasts only a few seconds, though a pair will often repeat the process multiple times in a short window.

The Copulation Process 

(Observations by the Bird Ecology Study Group detail exactly how the physical act occurs)

Signaling: The female perches on a branch and lowers her head and chest to signal to the male that she is ready.

Mounting: The male flies over and suddenly mounts her back, gripping her shoulders or neck feathers with his feet to maintain balance.

The "Kiss": The female shifts her tail feathers sharply to one side while the male twists his tail downward underneath hers. This allows their cloacas to meet perfectly for a split-second transfer of sperm.

Separation: As soon as the transfer is complete, the male immediately flies off to a nearby branch. He may preen his feathers briefly before initiating another round.A single pair of collared kingfishers has been documented copulating up to three times within a 10-minute span, with the female remaining stationary on the same perch between attempts.

Checking out different tree cavities before they returned to their initial choice.

And this one almost made it as they spent most time here.

Taking a rest in between.

Both male and female took turns to check out the cavity, although it was the male that made the most visits.

But eventually it was the initial location.

The male and female

Taking a splashing break during incubation.