Kingfishers at ARRC Wildlife Trust

Kingfishers are our only NZ native kingfisher and are endemic. They are exquisite in their colour and flight and also known as Kotare or Sacred Kingfisher.

While adults are very beautiful babies are incredibly ugly (we often think they look like little dinosaurs!) and they are very very noisy with a raucous screech! Some people do not tolerate having a nest nearby and either destroy it or bring the babies into ARRC for care.

Baby birds are best raised by their parents and especially in the case of a native bird such as the kingfisher they deserve our respect and care. At 4 weeks of age, baby kingfishers are ready to leave the nest and so leaving their Mum and Dad to care for them until this time is very important. Thankfully it’s only during the day that the birds with squawk and demand their food, at night they are usually quiet.

If birds are orphaned, native species may only be cared for by people who have a permit from DOC. For species such as thrushes, blackbirds and sparrows that are non-native they may be raised by anyone who is capable and this can be a rewarding experience. For more details have a look at our website www.arrc.org.nz

Read more about wildlife that we treat at ARRC in our 10 books that make up the ARRC Kids Adventure Series to educate children about man’s impact on our natural heritage and what they can do to help http://www.arrc.org.nz/education/