Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.

Of the six kingfisher species that occur in Japan, the common kingfisher is the most, erm, commonly seen.

Some folks find it curious that birds as resplendent as kingfishers are burrow dwellers, but that they are. This poem by the Scot Norman MacCaig (1910–1996) speaks to that perceived dissonance.

That kingfisher jewelling upstream

seems to leave a streak of itself

in the bright air. The trees

are all the better for its passing.

It's not a mineral eater, though it looks it.

It doesn't nip nicks out of the edges

of rainbows. - It dives

into the burly water, then, perched

on a Japanese bough, gulps

into its own incandescence

a wisp of minnow, a warrior stickleback.

- Or it vanishes into its burrow, resplendent

Samurai, returning home

to his stinking slum.

Of course, one bird’s stinking slum is another bird’s palace. Kingfishers, though, are closely associated with cleanliness, albeit a different kind of clean. Their presence is considered an indicator of water quality, as unpolluted waterways better sustain their fish, amphibian, freshwater crustacean, and insect prey.

For this color column, I studied the female common kingfisher; she looks just like the male except her bill’s lower mandible is orange, giving her an additional pop of color.

Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).

Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.