Sacred Kingfishers are equally at home in dry forest and tidal coasts and estuaries including mangrove forests. I recently photographed a male fluffed up after a salt water bath and was wondering about the origin of the name Sacred. According to Wikipedia it is called “sacred” for it is said to be a holy bird for Polynesians, who believe it to have control over the waves. Hence the name Todiramphus sanctus – sacred deriving from Latin sanctus.
While we know today Sacred Kingfishers do not control waves it is easy to see they are well adapted and at home in wave impacted coastal environments.
Please click on photos to enlarge.
Its a pity that wikipedia don't include a bit more about the Polynesians regarding it as controlling the waves. Is it because the waves are bigger when the bird arrives? Possibly such explanations are a little out of order since, apart from Australia and New Zealand the range in which the species is found is mainly Melanesia rather than Polynesia.
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