The White-throated Kingfisher, a photo from Rajasthan, West

Photographer's Note

The White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) also known as the White-breasted Kingfisher or Smyrna Kingfisher, is a tree kingfisher, widely distributed in Eurasia from Bulgaria, Turkey, east through South Asia to the Philippines. This kingfisher is a resident over much of its range, although some populations may make short distance movements. It can often be found well away from water where it feeds on a wide range of prey that includes small reptiles, amphibians, crabs, small rodents and even birds. During the breeding season they call loudly in the mornings from prominent perches including the tops of buildings in urban areas or on wires.
This is a large kingfisher, 28 cm in length. The adult has a bright blue back, wings and tail. Its head, shoulders, flanks and lower belly are chestnut, and the throat and breast are white. The large bill and legs are bright red. The flight of the White-throated Kingfisher is rapid and direct, the short rounded wings whirring. In flight, large white patches are visible on the blue and black wings. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are a duller version of the adult.
This species forms a superspecies with Halcyon cyanoventris and most major works recognize four geographic races. They vary clinally in size, the shades of blue on the mantle which is more greenish in smyrnensis and fusca and more blue or purplish in saturatior.

baddori, agulberk, jester5, ikeharel, Cricri, Charo, lakshmip1949, delpeoples, tyro, krzychu30, axiotea, psmukherjee12, PaulVDV, Didi, desy65, gervaso, Indrasish has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

GiovanniG (3914) 2012-02-23 4:52

Hello,
This is an outstanding photograph! The depth of field is great and it has good perspective. It has beautiful colors and good clarity. The point of view you selected is superb, well done.
Regards,
GiovanniG

francio64 (39888) 2012-02-23 5:21

Ciao caro Valter,
complimenti per la qualit� fotografica.
Bellissimi contrasti cromatici.
Il colore turchese tra l'altro sembra quasi metallizzato e crea un piacevole effetto visivo.
Perfetta sfocatura dello sfondo per dare risalto al pennuto.

Bravo! TFS!
L'Assessore

yquem46 (38752) 2012-02-23 5:25

Ciao Valter
Impressed by this razor sharp shot of the kingfisher
You were extremely close or made a large blow up of a small part of the image
Excellent
Deserves a good beer !
patrick

Miguel82 (47110) 2012-02-23 5:37

Hello Valter
Excellent bird shot
Good quality and sharpness
Miguel

baddori (20341) 2012-02-23 5:48

Valter
Foto "ornicologica" coloratissima ed espressiva.
Questi uccelli......quanti racconti e "sceneggiature" mi fa riflettere ....un contenitore in terrazzo con granaglie tritate e .....per� centinaia di cornacchie"
Ottimo scatto con un buon obiettivo .
GF

dkmurphys (79209) 2012-02-23 6:13

Ciao Valter,
Well spotted bird, a superb creature. Charming natural scene, well done.
Have a lovely evening.

Daniel

agulberk (3794) 2012-02-23 7:10

Hello Valter.
A wonderful artwork bird with its excellent colorful dresses and beautiful harmony of colors. You captured this amazing Kingfisher created by Glorios artmaker God. This beautiful bird is a letter from God.
Bediuzzaman said that, "a letter cannot exist without showing the one who wrote it, and an artistic inscription cannot exist without making known its inscriber, how is it that an inscriber who writes a huge book in a single letter and inscribes a thousand inscriptions in a single inscription, should not be known through his writing and through his inscribing?"
Thanks for sharing
Regards, Greetings
Adnan

holmertz (102636) 2012-02-23 7:15

Hello Valter,
An excellent capture. The bird is in a beautiful position and the technical quality of this photo is superb with perfect light and sharpness.
Kind regards,
Gert

Yiannis84 (2824) 2012-02-23 7:17

Hi Valter..

Very nice close-up gith amazing colorful details..superb light management, clarity & sharpness..i really like the blur brunch..very well taken

Best regards..Yiannis

rychem (72187) 2012-02-23 7:22

Excellent sharpness of this photo, beautiful colors and pose of this bird
regards
Ryszard

ikeharel (113273) 2012-02-23 10:05

What a distance it had flown, same bird??...
Buona sera Valter, fabulous bird, has a unique twit, we have a per of them each spring stay through autumn in my hometown each year.
A fine image collected.
Ciao
Ike

Cricri (176) 2012-02-23 10:28

Ciao Valter
Vraiment magnifique cet oiseau au long bec et aux couleurs contrast� et merveilleuse, nettet� et un DOF doux excellent
Belle soir馥
cricri

angel66 (1006) 2012-02-23 10:33

Ciao Valter
questa foto � di super qualit�! Nitidezza fantastica e colori magnifici. Che dire? Bravissimo!
Ciao caro
Giuliana

Bluejeans (64251) 2012-02-23 11:24

Ola Valter ,
Linda foto deste p疽saro o Rei da Pesca suas cores s縊 maravilhosas , bons detalhes , parab駭s!!
Um abra輟 Gon軋lo

Charo (51290) 2012-02-23 11:53

Ciao Valter,
Che fortuna hai avuto a catturare questo bellissimo uccello con grande precisione e dettaglio.
Ottima inquadratura e dettagli molto buoni e colori. Bravo!
Un caro saluto,
Charo

lakshmip1949 (19081) 2012-02-23 11:58

Hello Valter,

Never seen such a colorful kingfisher. The bird is well placed in the frame. Sharpness, colors and lighting are superb.

Lakshmi

grigand (20290) 2012-02-23 12:50

ciao valter
Stupendo questo MArtin Pescatore ... ma l'hai scovato in India pensavo fosse una specie solo europea, posa e dettagli veramente super, ma eri vicinissimo, bravissimo
ciao
andrea

delpeoples (60342) 2012-02-23 13:44

Caro Valter

Vedo che oggi, hai cambiato il tuo genere fotografico a quello di ornitologia. E tu sei altrettanto abile in questo tipo di fotografia. Il martin pescatore � magnifico, lo hai fotografato superbamente. Egli � ben definito e nitido. La sfocatura sullo sfondo � ben controllato ed i colori sono una delizia per gli occhi. Possiamo anche vedere le luci nei suoi occhi. Questo tipo di martin pescatore � pi� spettacolare anche rispetto alla Kingfisher australiano, il Kookaburra. Complimenti per questo ottimo esempio di fotografia naturalistica.

Un abbraccio
Lisuzza

Gigidusud (21679) 2012-02-23 14:24

Ciao Valter,
Ottimo scatto di questo ucello!Bellissima nitidezza e splendidi colori.
Complimenti!
Ghislaine

ciakgiak (30) 2012-02-23 15:03

Ciao Valter,
Bellissimo il soggetto, eccellente la tecnica, magnifici i colori.
Un caro saluto.
Giorgio

Waylim (25436) 2012-02-23 17:08

Ciao Valter,

Wonderful shot, something we see more on TN than on TE. But it is very nice to see it here. Beautiful close up of hte beautiful and colorful Kingfisher. Beautiful rich color, excellent details on the plumage and the reflected light on the feather.

Thank you.

Way

diomed (13926) 2012-02-23 23:22

Ciao Valter,
una cattura che buca lo schermo, una foto spettacolare, per bellezza, definizione, fuoco, inquadratura. Bravissimo.
Buona giornata
Antonio

tyro (30513) 2012-02-24 0:01

Ciao Valter,

What an interesting note - but what an even more wonderful photograph! I really did not know that kingfishers could be as large as 28 cm in length.

This is a beautiful wildlife photograph and I'm amazed that you managed to get close enough with your 200mm lens to capture this beautiful creature. But you have isolated this kingfisher perfectly against a nicely out of focus background and perched very appropriately on a small tree branch.

Fabulous colours, perfect exposure, good composition and exquisite sharpness.

Fabulous!

Kind Regards,

John.

krzychu30 (15512) 2012-02-24 0:57

Hello my friend,
this is the second photo of a bird in the last two days I see on TE,that has delighted me with its beauty.Itｴs a masterpiece how you managed to compose it and to get the best out of it.Excellent sharpness and fine,vivid colors.Also the way you focused the picture is outstanding.It looks almost like it would be 3D.
Best Regards
Krzysztof

Afsanehbagheri (3228) 2012-02-24 3:42

سلام دوست من

خیلی زیبا گرفتی

تبریک

danyy (0) 2012-02-24 4:32

Bonjour Valter,
un petit bijou technique cette macro tr鑚 color馥 et � la profondeur de champ telle que l'oiseau semble sortir de l'馗ran. Rien � redire, un travail de pro.
Regards.
Daniel.

mursaloglu (8682) 2012-02-24 4:59

Ciao caro Valter
una foto dettagliata con grande ripresa e bellissimi colori. io in genere mi oriento alla gente quando vado a fotografare, ma si vede che bisogna orientarsi anche agli altri esseri viventi quando siamo in giro. Grazie. ihsan

mauro61 (53427) 2012-02-24 5:02

ciao Valter,
una eccellente messa a fuoco su questo uccelletto dal bel piumaggio colorato.
Sempre difficile questo genere di foto da realizzare e tu sei stato molto bravo,
buona serata
maurizio

Silvio1953 (221493) 2012-02-24 8:46

Ciao Valter, complimentoni, hai beccato alla grande questo delizioso coloratissimo uccellino, fantastici dettagli, splendida nitidezza e magnifico sfondo luminoso, da professionista, bravissimo, buon week end, ciao Silvio

lousat (139198) 2012-02-24 9:05

Questa e' una foto da sfracelli anche per treknature,conosco molti uccellari che te la inviederebbero infinitamnte,per fortuna io sono un farfallaro..ehehe...ma te la invidio comunque perche' e' una foto al top quanto a difficolta' e quanto a qualita'...stupenda!! Buona serata e complimenti,Luciano

lpi (4857) 2012-02-24 11:48

Salut Valter!
Il est magnifique cet oiseau!
les couleurs sont superbes!
Joli cadrage!
Amicalement,
Lpi

adores (46979) 2012-02-24 17:02

Hi Valter!
A different one from India this time:)! It's perfect! - the pose of the little bird, its colours, the focus... Very good capture!

aliabazari (22099) 2012-02-25 0:22

Hello
Very beautiful and artistic record. Lighting with excellent color.
With respect

siudzi (34141) 2012-02-25 9:16

Hi Valter,

What an impressive shot of this beautiful bird! A top quality work with superb sharpness and DOF. Bravo! I really like it.

Regards,
Malgorzata

milad_abazari (1648) 2012-02-27 23:28

Hi Walter.
The good and beautiful of the bird registration with warm colors and joyful. Much like it was good.
Thank you

rhinos59 (610) 2012-02-28 8:20

Ciao Valter!
Bellissima foto!mi piacerebbe sapere a quanti metri eri!Belli i colori e il crop! Anche da queste parti si vedono dei Martini(non bianchi o rossi!ahahah!) mi piacerebbe fotografarne qualcuno!Forse il mese prossimo vado in un oasiWWF speriamo di beccarne qualcuno!
Ciao Rino

axiotea (21651) 2012-02-28 20:37

Ciao Valter
Non potevo mancare questa foto perch� � semplicemente superba! Hai avuto la luce necessaria sul bel piumaggio del kingfisher. C'� una buona definizione e i colori sono al top ;)

A+
Marilyn
P.S sono 2 giorni che vado a l'ambasciata indiana a P.P pero c'� un problema con il loro sistema :( partiamo domani per la Thailandia...

pedram_abazari (971) 2012-02-29 4:09

سلام
عکس خیلی قشنگی است از یک پرنده .
موفق باشی

macondo (20449) 2012-03-02 1:50

Greetings Valter.
Wow, this is an amazingly sharp photo, in such good focus. You wisely used a very fast shutter with the long lens. The exposure combination and long lens also have blurred the background superbly. The colours are stunning. A wonderful bird photo, taken at just the right moment as the bird turned its head.
Regards,
Andrew

Lefkada1970 (179) 2012-03-03 3:44

hello paisano.Very impressive.I know the difficulty taking these shots.Superb composition and color,well done.regards Costa

claudeD (47754) 2012-03-13 12:02

Hello Valter,

my congratulations for this amazing picture. Excellent colors and perfect sharpness. I like this contribution to TE very much. Excellent note.Very well done.TFS.

With reagrds from Luxembourg

JC

REZA_V (700) 2012-03-15 15:05

Hi Walter
The bird is very beautiful. Color and lighting and excellent color.
Thanks for sharing

PaulVDV (62846) 2012-03-18 15:02

Ciao Valter,
Splendid capture! The kingfisher in profile poses ideal.
Perfect sharpness. Excellent with the blurred background.
What a contrasting colours these feathers have.
Beautifully with the light in its eye.
Congratulations!
Best regards, Paul

mohammad_H (10178) 2012-03-21 22:30

hi Valter
I found this bird abundant in the coast city. Speed and agility of these birds is so much that he makes sure he gets the Shkarsh. Bird is very beautiful with different colors. Of thank you notes. Beautiful
have a nice day

Didi (61589) 2012-04-11 18:51

Ciao Valter
Photographier un Martin p鹹heur au 200 mm c'est un miracle.
Parfaite nettet� de cette belle capture.
En bord de Loire chez moi il y en a plein de ce genre d'oiseau, mais difficile � approcher et je poss鐡e un 300 mm.
Bien cordialement

Morteza_E (879) 2012-04-15 6:54

Hello
The beauty of this small bird is recorded. Good lighting and colors.
Thanks

gus72 (3719) 2012-04-28 18:50

Hi Valter !
I am back home after driving 23 000 Km in just under 6 months.Sorry that I was unable to keep participating in Trekearth for a while, I was on the move most the time.
This is a beaituful image with a great note & brillant colours.
Cheers ....... Bravo !!!!!!
Gus

desy65 (576) 2012-07-30 6:52

Ciao Valter
Ma, mi avevano detto che non si possono mettere gli animali in TE ... io ci ho provato a mettere un gatto che ... il giorno dopo ... non c' era pi� ???
Sono contenta di vedere che a te non l' hanno fatto. Molto bella questa foto con un uccello mai visto prima.
La foto � bellissima e mi piace l' espressione arrabbiata sotto il ciuffo.
Un saluto e un augurio di buona giornata
Desy

thebest (4276) 2012-09-06 2:32

Hello Valter,

Wow this is incredible - the colours of this beautiful Kingfisher bird against the background & branch are sensational - such harmony in a photo.

Kind regards,
Dawn.

gervaso (28177) 2012-10-18 4:39

Hello, Valter!

This bird is beautiful, with different colors which you've captured perfectly! Excellent sharpness! It deserves the 100 points that it now has! Very good job!

Mondaychild (378) 2013-02-23 4:40

Hello Valter,

wow! Excellent macro-shot, well colored, good sharpness. the blurred bright background fits very well.

Gisi

maloutim (13617) 2013-05-02 1:07

Waoo ! Io non riesco mai a catturare uccelli furtivi cos� vicino !
Che bello macro sul martin pescatore, molto n�tido sullo sfondo sfocato !
Mi piacciono molto i riflessi cangianti di sue ali blu, il suo sguardo penetrante ed il becco potente.
Bravissimo.
Marie-Louise.

m (0) 2013-07-06 14:42

Hi Valter,
love this one so much... super capture! The metallic cyan and orange plumage and that perky stare... just awesome!
Thanks and best wishes

Indrasish (2943) 2013-09-18 21:38

Dear Valter,
Excellent shot here.. I like the close up.. Superb image quality and nice colors too.. I like birds.. and this white throated Kingfisher is very beautiful.. And thanks for attaching an interesting note with it.. Very well done my friend..
gOOD MORNING AND BEST WISHES FROM kOLKATA..
wARM REGARDS,
iNDRASISH..

mkamionka (74329) 2013-09-30 7:03

Hi Valter,
I am recently into birdwatching so this picture attracted my attention. Beautiful high quality photo of this different type of the kingfisher. I admire the amazing sharpness. Very attractive color of the feathers, and a nice pose captured,
Excellent work,
M