Todiramphus sanctus
Sacred Kingfishers inhabit the forests and woodlands of the ACT, including Canberra nature reserves. They were recorded at about a third of survey sites, most reports being of single birds. Sacred Kingfishers feed on small lizards, frogs, fish and invertebrates such as beetles and grasshoppers, and usually breed in hollow tree limbs.
They are a summer breeding migrant arriving in Canberra from the tropics in September. Numbers peak rapidly in October as birds move through the urban areas before settling in woodland or continuing their migration south. This peak is followed by a slight decline in December, with numbers increasing again in January and February as birds begin their northward migration or independent young start dispersing.
Kingfisher numbers declined sharply in the first years of the survey but have stabilised since. Although kingfishers have been reported each year of the survey, breeding has only been recorded three times, from November to early February. R=64. BR=73.
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