04/10/2026
Can you Find October’s Bird of the Month? The Sacred Kingfisher
Kingfishers are an interesting family group. The Kookaburra is of course an iconic member of the family but it rarely fishes. Similarly, this month's bird, the Sacred Kingfisher, is another “dryland” kingfisher, feeding, at least in Canberra, primarily on insects and other invertebrates. Other Kingfishers are primarily fish eaters. The European Common Kingfisher lends its name to the whole family, and our small Azure Kingfisher which you can see on the Cotter River and also down the coast is another example.
If you do go looking for and find a Sacred Kingfisher this month, please tell us about it by leaving a comment to this post. We’d love to hear your Kingfisher story.
What to Look For
At 21 cm, the Sacred Kingfisher is the same size as a Common Starling. In good light, adults have shimmery green/blue backs and wings, a striking black mask, blue head, and a buff underside. The bird's shape is highly distinctive, with little or no neck, an upright stance, large, heavy bill (proportionally) and a shortish tail.
In Canberra, if you see a smallish kingfisher it’s very likely a Sacred, although the Red-backed Kingfisher does occasionally show-up here. The rich rusty-coloured rump and grey streaky cap of the Red-backed will sort out the identification of the two species.
At this time of year, Sacred Kingfishers are arriving back from the tropical north - Papua New Guinea or the Torres Strait, a journey that typically takes 4-6 weeks.
What to Listen For
Their call is a carrying, kek-kek-kek-kek which is superficially similar to the White-throated Treecreeper (June’s Bird of the Month). A second call, a rapid ascending roll tucree-tucree-tucree is also distinctive. Listen to their call on eBird here https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/665891043 or on Merlin (the app, not the Wizard!)
Where to Look
A relatively common bird, they are a bit fussier than some of our other summer migrants, seeming to prefer larger, less disturbed woodlands and forests. That said, the eBird range map shows them occurring throughout the ACT in the spring and summer.
And finally, what's in a name?
Ian Fraser and Jeannie Gray’s delightful book Australian Bird Names gives a bit of background to the Sacred Kingfisher’s scientific name Todiramphus sanctus.
From Latin: Todi - to an unknown bird, the Tody giving “a bird with a bill like a tody
From Ancient Greek: Ramphos - meaning a bill
Again from Latin: Sanctus- meaning sacred and probably because some Pacific Islander people held the bird in high esteem.
Peter Miller
Image credit Leo Berzins
