This dramatic looking little thing is the Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher which is actually larger than it looks in this photo. It's about 5 inches long, lives in southeast Asia and India, and builds a horizontal tunnel nest near small streams in dense forests. As small as it appears, it feeds its young skinks, crabs, geckos, frogs and dragonflies as opposed to fish as its name implies.
Source: Wikipedia
The next adorable little guy is a Tody Motmot which lives in Mexico, Central and South American tropical forests. He's not as colorful as the Dwarf Kingfisher, but he has a certain appeal! And he is related to the kingfisher family.
Source: Wikipedia
His cousin, the Rufous Motmot, is larger and more of a show stopper. An inhabitant of the South American rainforest, it has a diet much like the kingfisher.
Source: Wikipedia
The Flamecrest is another cutie from the mountains of Taiwan and a member of the kinglet family. It is also the smallest bird endemic to Taiwan and mainly is an insect eater. The male is pretty funky looking with his orange Mohawk.
Male Photo by: Kun Chin Chung Source: The Internet Bird Collection
Another tiny bird with a red crest is the male tufted coquette, a hummingbird only found in northern South America. As a hummingbird, its main diet is nectar and a few insects.
Source: Wikipedia
The Crimson-breasted Shrike lives in southern Africa. Unlike some brightly colored birds, both the male and female look exactly alike. It builds a nest of strips of bark and mostly eats insects and small fruit.
Source: Wikipedia
In the case of the Blue Dacnis of South America, the female is actually green...
Female Blue Dacnis Source: Wikipedia
but the male lives up to its name. They also mainly eat insects and fruit.
Male Blue Dacnis Source: Wikipedia
And last, but not least, the hoopoe, the most flamboyant of them all. It is found across Europe, Africa and Asia. It is also related to the kingfishers, but looks nothing like our first little bird. It eats mainly insects including many species that are considered pests.
Source: Wikipedia
Hope you enjoyed this mini bird watching tour!
The pair of Blue Dacnis remind me a lot of the Red-Legged Honey Creeper guy we saw in Panama. She was green; he was blue and their diet sounds exactly the same but they don't look exactly the same! Maybe they are somehow related?
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The Blue Dacnis is often called the turquoise honeycreeper, even though it is not actually a honeycreeper. They are related though as they are all in the tanager family.
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