The Stork-billed Kingfisher

 The Stork-billed Kingfisher (pelargopsis capensis) is a truly majestic and distinctive kingfisher, renowned for its impressive size and, as its name suggests, a remarkably large, bright red beak resembling that of a stork. It's a widely distributed resident bird across the tropical regions of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including parts of Karnataka.

This is one of the largest kingfisher species, measuring around 35-41 cm in length. Adults have an olive-brown head, a whitish chin, and buff underparts, contrasting sharply with their dark green-blue upperparts, bluer wings, and an azure rump. The most striking feature is its massive, scarlet-red bill, which is darker at the tip, and equally bright red legs. Both sexes look similar. Juveniles have narrow dusky edges to the feathers of their breast and hindneck, and their bills may be darker at the base with some red towards the tip.