Stork-billed Kingfisher

The stork-billed kingfisher is a very large tree kingfisher, about 35cm long, with a massive bright red bill and red legs. It has a green back, blue wings and tail, an olive-brown head with a paler chin, and buff underparts and neck. Its flight is laboured and flapping but direct. The sexes look alike. Thirteen subspecies are recognised, differing mostly in plumage details; one form in the Philippines has a white head, neck and underparts (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is widely but sparsely distributed from India to Indonesia and lives mostly along streams and ponds in lowland areas with tree cover. It is sedentary throughout its range. Its species name refers to the Cape of Good Hope, although the type specimen actually came from near Chandannagar in West Bengal. In India it is resident with a large range; SoIB 2023 finds a current increase of about 3% a year and rates it a Low conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).