Black-capped Kingfisher

Black-capped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) is a striking tree kingfisher with a black cap, white throat, purple-blue wings and a large coral-red bill. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is strongly associated with coasts, estuaries and mangroves, though it also occurs inland, and hunts fish, crabs, frogs and insects; northern Asian populations migrate south for winter. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).