[Fwd: [Birding-Aus] Kingfishers]

[Ian Cowan <>]

I know I will be shot down, but I am going for Sacred.  Although it is hard to judge the size of the bird, from the appearance of the mud and sticks around it I would put it as a small bird, smaller than the Collared.  It is also thin (scrawny) whereas the collared is a distinctly larger, plumper bird (not always obvious in the field guides).  The Collared around Cairns tends to inhabit the taller mangrove forest, not the mudflats.  The form of the Sacred that feeds on the mudflats and sandflats is quite dark on its back, in some light conditions it can even appear to be black at first glance, and often does not display the buff colouring of the "suburban" Sacred

Ian Cowan
Clifton Beach