Family ALCEDINIDAE. 

 Alcedo ispida L. — Kingfisher. 



(Plate 94, fig. a-c). 

 (Snouckaert: Avifauna Neerlandica, p. 59, No. 141). 



Colour of surface of shell 



Average dimensions: 

 Average weight of shell: 

 Texture of shell: 

 Shape : 



Nest: 



Site of nest: 



Number of eggs: 

 Breeding season: 

 Duration of incubation 



white, but of a different tint to that of 

 Picinae-eggs; very glossy. 



22.6 X 19 millimetres. 



0.2 gram. 



finely granulated. 



rounded, producing equal halves when cut 

 transversely. 



heaped up fish bones and scales serve as 

 a layer on which the eggs lie. 



in burrows, usually about 1 Metre long, 

 excavated by the bird itself in steep 

 sandy banks and similar places, sometimes 

 at some distance from water. 



6-7. 



mid-April— July. 



about 15 days. 



