Sombre Kingfisher (Todiramphus funebris)

The sombre kingfisher adopts a hunting strategy that is common to many birds in this family, the 'perch-and-pounce' technique. The kingfisher will perch quietly on a shady branch in the middle level of trees, carefully watching for any movement, and then swoop to the ground to snatch prey, before returning to its perch to consume it. Grasshoppers, centipedes, snakes and lizards have all been recorded in the sombre kingfisher's diet (2) (3). There is nothing known specifically about the sombre kingfisher's breeding behaviour, but all kingfishers nest in holes (4).

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