Green Kingfisher
Like other kingfishers, Green Kingfishers have two forward-facing, partially fused toes. (This is known as a "syndactyl" toe arrangement.) As the adults excavate the nest burrow with the bill, they use these toes to push the soil back out toward the burrow entrance like a small shovel. The sturdy bill of the Green Kingfisher is not just a tool for fishing, the bird uses it to hammer into hard-packed soil to build the nest burrow. A careful look at an adult’s bill tip during the early part of the nesting season sometimes reveals signs of abrasion or damage.
Photographer: Dave Saunders