Kotare (Kingfisher)

19cm high x 31cm wide x 3mm Corten Steel

The Kōtare’s impressive bill is not just pretty, it’s a mighty weapon in the fight to defend territory and help them dive for fish. They also use it to make burrows – they fly straight at a decaying trunk and ram it till there’s a hole big enough to perch in and scoop out. You often see Kōtare perching on a power line waiting patiently for its prey to appear. No wonder a bunch of them is called ‘a concentration’. Kōtare is a must-have profile in any backyard.