A tale of five kingfishers, a Hunter first
By Mick Roderick, Hunter Bird Observers Club
and Sue Olsson, EcoNetwork Port Stephens
6 December 2025
“I’m pretty sure we haven’t ever had all five kingfishers recorded in the Hunter Region present at the same time, but right now we do.”, reports Mick Roderick, Hunter Bird Observers Club (HBOC), mid November 2025.
This exciting observation is the culmination of several HBOC members individually reporting their observations of kingfishers throughout the Hunter, and Mick picked up this pattern.
Azure Kingfisher, Bill Lancaster, Facebook
“Of course, we have our two resident kingfishers present, Laughing Kookaburras and Azure Kingfishers.
Our breeding population of Sacred Kingfishers are also around … you could almost argue that Sacred Kingfishers as a species are resident because some birds overwinter in the mangrove-dominated habitats such as around Stockton sand spit.” Mick said.
Sacred Kingfisher, Mick Roderick
“We’ve seen at least two Red-backed Kingfishers along the Hunter River at Lemington that have been there for a couple of months now. And another first, is that this pair have bred, which is amazing for a vagrant species in the Hunter …
and a Forest Kingfisher arrived at Stockton Cemetery on the 12th November, though their breeding is not recorded in the Hunter”, commented Mick.
Red-backed Kingfisher, Mick Roderick
Hunter Region offers a rich habitat variety
Kingfishers thrive here because the region contains a mix of habitats:
- Open woodland and farmland — perfect for Laughing Kookaburras.
- Freshwater creeks and forest streams — critical for Azure Kingfishers.
- Estuaries and mangroves — excellent for Sacred Kingfishers.
Forest Kingfishers are at their extreme southern extent in the Hunter, while Red-backed Kingfishers are more arid birds using the Hunter’s non-coastal woodlands.
Forest Kingfisher at Stockton Cemetery, Stephanie Owen
Diverse hunting strategies
From the Azure Kingfisher’s underwater plunge to the Sacred Kingfisher’s perch-and-pounce method, the kingfishers employ various hunting strategies.
Laughing Kookaburras, the largest of our Hunter kingfishers, are a familiar sight and sound around Port Stephens, at least while there are still hollow-bearing trees, essential for their nests.
Laughing Kookaburras feed mostly on insects, worms and crustaceans, although small snakes, mammals, frogs and birds may also be eaten. Prey is seized by pouncing from a suitable perch. Small prey is eaten whole, but larger prey is killed by bashing it against the ground or tree branch.
Azure Kingfishers are never far from water, plunging from low branches to catch fish, crustaceans, and aquatic insects, often bashing its prey against the perch before swallowing.
Azure Kingfisher, Bill Lancaster Facebook
Sacred Kingfisher, Mick Roderick
Sacred Kingfishers forage mainly on the land, for crustaceans, reptiles, insects and their larvae and, infrequently, fish. The birds perch on low exposed branches on the lookout for prey. Once located, the Sacred Kingfisher swoops down and grasps it in its bill, returning to the perch to eat it.
Forest Kingfishers hunt from low branches or wires, pouncing on insects, small lizards, frogs, invertebrates, including beetles, bugs, spiders and grasshoppers and worms, returning to a branch to kill prey by banging it.
Many kingfishers possess excellent underwater vision and a nictitating membrane (a clear eyelid) enables them to see while submerged, which helps them accurately strike moving prey.
Breeding and habitat
Kingfishers are also notable for their nesting habits and they are important indicators of a healthy local ecosystem.
- Nesting: Different species use varied nesting sites. The Azure Kingfisher digs long burrows into riverbanks, while the Sacred Kingfisher often excavates nests in termite mounds, tree hollows, or riverbanks. Typically the Forest Kingfisher uses arboreal (tree-dwelling) termite mounds, while Laughing Kookaburras nest in a naturally occurring tree hollow or in a burrow excavated in an arboreal termite mound (See on Facebook).
The Laughing Kookaburra, Azure and Sacred Kingfishers regularly breed in the Hunter, and amazingly this year is a first for a pair of Red-backed Kingfishers, while there’s been no breeding recorded of Forest Kingfishers in the Hunter.
(View an interesting clip of one of the Asian kingfishers feeding chicks in a waterside burrow, Facebook) - Unique physical adaptations aid digging: Kingfishers have a unique toe arrangement where two front toes (the middle and outer ones) are partially fused together for stronger digging (see Azure Kingfisher image). Kingfishers have a stocky body for a powerful beak.
- Breeding season: Typically occurs in spring and summer, with eggs laid between September and December in NSW, and young birds fledging around a month later.
- Pairing: Laughing Kookaburras, Azure, Forest and Red-backed Kingfishers form monogamous pairs, while Sacred Kingfishers pair up only for the breeding season.
- Parental care: Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. Unlike other kingfishers, the Laughing Kookaburra’s offspring of the previous one to two years, act as ‘helpers’, with every bird in the group sharing all parenting duties.
Conservation
- Habitat health: The presence of kingfishers is often a sign of a healthy ecosystem, but they are vulnerable to habitat degradation.
- Threats: Stock trampling vegetation around waterholes, artificial flooding, and the presence of species like European Carp can negatively impact local populations. Loss of mature trees with larger tree hollows and arboreal termite mounds impact breeding ability.
Great places to see kingfishers in the Hunter
- Hunter Wetlands Centre (Warabrook)
- Hunter River estuary
- Myall Lakes National Park
- Watagan Mountains
- Barrington Tops foothills
- Stockton Sandspit & Ash Island wetlands
Other information
Birding in Port Stephens (including HBOC Bird Trails)
Hunter Bird Observers Club website