White throated Kingfisher with a kill

Digital Illustration by Jayanthi Kalyanaraman

Reference Image source: Google

Identifying the white-throated kingfisher is quite easy because of its bright blue body, chocolate brown head, and a distinct white throat. It has bright red legs and a broad reddish-brown beak. The bird is an opportunistic feeder hence has a wide range of diets that consists of insects, amphibians, geckos, rodents, and even other birds. There have been several instances where the kingfisher has been observed to feed on snakes. It was reported that the bird fed on a common wolf snake in 2010. Later in 2015, another report mentioned an observation of the bird feeding on a striped keelback snake.

References:

Predation by white-throated kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis on common wolf snake Lycodon aulicus

Striped Keelback in the diet of White-throated kingfisher