S’pore kingfisher catches frog to eat, smashes prey’s head into tree branch

Photographer captures shots of kingfisher smashing frog into branch at Bidadari Park

A photographer snapped pictures of a kingfisher dealing with its latest catch: a frog.

Mr Woo Jia Wei told MS News that he had gone to Bidadari Park at around 6pm on 9 Nov.

The birding community in Singapore had alerted him to the sighting of a ruddy kingfisher there.

Once at the location, he encountered the colourfully-feathered bird and photographed it.

Mr Woo said the kingfisher then managed to catch a small frog in its orange beak while he observed it.

The kingfisher tossed the frog into the air and caught it in another position using its beak.

After that, the bird turned its head and smashed the frog headfirst into the branch like a hammer striking a nail.

Smashing reduces chances of choking on bones

Mr Woo explained in the post caption that kingfishers would bash their prey several times to ensure its bones broke into finer pieces.

As such, the bird could then swallow their meal whole without a choking hazard.

He also pointed out that the kingfisher had covered its eye in a membrane during the smashing process, a behaviour that it usually does when diving underwater.

Mr Woo said the kingfisher took about five minutes to devour its prey.

He added that it was the first time he saw one catch and eat a frog.

Netizens praised the spectacular video footage, though one joked that it was a “bad day for Kermit”.

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Featured image courtesy of Woo Jia Wei and adapted from Woo Jia Wei on Facebook.