Local kingfisher chased off by aggressive migratory visitor at West Coast Park in ‘very lucky’ sighting
A migratory kingfisher ended up in a rare battle with a local kingfisher at West Coast Park, resulting in a high-speed aerial chase.
The lucky photographer who captured the feathery fight even claimed the clash had never been photographed in Singapore before.
Source: Gordon Koh on Facebook
Aggressive migratory kingfisher chases local rival off at West Coast Park
Mr Gordon Koh, a Regional Director in a multinational corporation (MNC), told MS News that he encountered the birds at around 8.30am on 22 Nov.
It occurred at a canal in West Coast Park, next to Pandan Crescent Road.
Observing from a distance, Mr Koh saw a local white-throated kingfisher land on a railing with what appeared to be a worm in its beak.
Source: Gordon Koh on Facebook
It began to eat its caught prey, only for a rare migratory black-capped kingfisher to unexpectedly swoop down at it.
Mr Koh described the black-capped kingfisher as “very aggressive”. It went beak-first at the other bird, which fell from the railing and flew off immediately.
“This kind of attack [has] never [been] seen or photographed before in Singapore as far as I know,” he claimed, calling it extremely rare.
Source: Gordon Koh on Facebook
Kingfishers engage in aerial chase after one returns to railing
After the clash, the white-throated kingfisher flew back to the railing. It was on high alert, keeping an eye out for its attacker.
The black-capped kingfisher appeared shortly after and charged, with the local kingfisher taking off before the other bird could get close.
“Then a chase ensued, and both kingfishers were seen flying away across the canal,” Mr Koh said.
He lost track of them during the pursuit and didn’t manage to snap a photo of their second encounter.
‘Very lucky day’ to witness rare fight with infrequent visitor
“It was a very lucky day for me to witness such a rare bird, let alone a fight with the white-throated kingfisher.”
Mr Koh explained that black-capped kingfishers are typically skittish, making them a very infrequent sight.
Source: Gordon Koh on Facebook
According to the Bird Society of Singapore, the species is a “scarce winter visitor” mostly found in China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula.
In his Facebook post, Mr Koh suggested that the fight was a territorial dispute.
He further theorised that the black-capped kingfisher was acting very aggressively as it was a “visitor” in the ecosystem.
Also read: ‘Battle of the Raptors’: Brahminy kite swoops down & fights peregrine falcon for prey in Havelock
‘Battle of the Raptors’: Brahminy kite swoops down & fights peregrine falcon for prey in Havelock
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Featured image adapted from Gordon Koh on Facebook.
