East Africa gleans much attention for its spectacular wildlife. Lions, cheetahs, elephants and leopards. Their sheer beauty is awe inspiring. What surprises most visitors though is the spectacular birds. One of the most magnificent birds is the Giant Kingfisher. You must admit, any bird or animal that has "giant" as part of its name must merit special attention. This impressive bird is approximately 1.5 feet tall. Its black bill is thick and massive. On a recent trip to southern Tanzania, we watched a Giant Kingfisher fish. It dove into th
e water like a torpedo with excessive force and came out with an 9” fish. Before swallowing the fish whole, the Kingfisher has to break the fish's bones. We watched in amazement as the Kingfisher smashed the fish on the tree branch where it stood. Holding the fish in its bill it smashed the fish on one side, then it flipped the fish in its bill, and smashed the other side. Blood started to cover the branch. After five minutes of whacking the fish to death and breaking its bones, the Kingfis
her flipped the bird in the air and swallowed it whole. Awesome.
