32 He aha tērā? Kingfisher

You may see this squat bird hunched on your washing line or on a power line. Or maybe it’ll suddenly dive down to the ground and come back up with a lizard or bug in its large black bill. Green above and creamy-beige below, you’ll know this bird when you see it. He aha tērā? What is that?

Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with permission.

Answer: it’s a kōtare, kingfisher:

Identification: Length: 23 cm; Weight: 55 g

A medium-sized kingfisher with a green-blue back, yellow-buff undersides, a large pointed black bill, a broad black eye-stripe from lores to ear-coverts, and a white collar in adults. Immatures are duller, with buff feather edges on upper parts and brownish mottling on the chest and collar.