Kotare

Kotare is the Māori name for the Kingfisher, a small bird with a green-blue back, buff to yellow undersides and a large black bill. Rather than nesting in tree tops like many other birds, the Kotare uses their dagger-like beaks to tunnel into soft tree trunks or clay banks to build nests. Kotare are found throughout the country in both coastal and inland freshwater habitats. They live in a wide range of habitats, including forest, river margins, farmland, lakes, estuaries and rocky coastlines. Their diet in estuarine mudflats is mainly small crabs, with a range of tadpoles, freshwater crayfish and small fish in freshwater habitats. In open country they eat insects, spiders, lizards, mice and small birds. At Bella Rakha Retreat Center in New Zealand (private disc golf course), Kotare are often spotted perching utop the disc golf baskets.