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The Kid Should See This

The Kingfisher hunts for fish on the River Shannon

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From PBS’ Ireland’s Wild River, this is how the vibrantly-colored Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) hunts for fish on the River Shannon: By diving with unexpected speed.

kingfisher diving
Waterways Ireland shares the video clip above:

“This excerpt on Kingfishers was filmed on the River Inny, a Shannon tributary and is a wonderful example of the life you can come across while making your journey on the Shannon- of course in real life the action is moving a bit quicker.”

kingfisher underwater
kingfisher with a fish
Related reading: A Perfect Photo of a Kingfisher, 720K Pictures in the Making.

The birds, which tend to be small, with large heads and dagger-like beaks, can dive at speeds up to 25 mph, making [Alan] McFadyen‘s photo a difficult shot. “The [kingfisher’s] speed is incredible and fascinating to watch,” he says. “Even at 10 frames per second, sometimes you get nothing in the [photograph]. It’s that fast.”

See more bird and kingfisher videos, including:
The kingfisher’s gaze stabilization
• Inside a Kingfisher Nest
• How a kingfisher, an owl, & a penguin helped redesign Japan’s Shinkansen

Updated video.

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