Kingfisher

[slinkycat]

I've got a largish pond in the garden which is ocasionally visited by a kingfisher, I feel quite priveliged and don't mind if it takes a few small fish as the pond has become a bit overstocked due to the goldfish breeding so much. what I want to know is will a kingfisher only go for fish small enough for it to lift out of the pond, or will they try to "spear" bigger fish, in which case I should keep an eye out for injured fish?

[wildwood]

Kingfishers can manage surprisingly large fish, up to their own length. They are quite territorial so it is unlikely that they'll tell their friends about your pond, but they can clean a pond out in a short time.

[lindapinda]

This RSPB site has some good info. It appears they only go after the smallest fish and won't try for the bigger ones. How lucky are you to have a kingfisher!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfile s/3027.shtml

[slinkycat]

Thanks for your answers, wildwood - some of my fish are 5LB+ ghost koi, so hopefully the kingfisher won't take them on! Didn't realise they would take fish up to their own length though and its a lot prettier than the flippin heron that actually did almost clean the pond out a few years back!
lindapinda - i'll have a look at that link, yes I do feel very lucky, its only an occasional visitor, but even so, I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I saw it sitting on a post by the pond!