Kingfisher and Wintersweet Coloring Page — Free Printable for Adults & Seniors

A coloring page of a kingfisher perched on a wintersweet branch in flower. This is a free printable for adults and seniors: the bird is drawn feather by feather down its back and wing, and the small waxy blossoms run the whole length of the bare branch, so there is fine detail to work through slowly. In the color sample the kingfisher wears the turquoise back and orange breast that have earned it the nickname “jewel of the river” in Japan. Download the PDF and print it — no registration required.

Free download — no registration required

What is wintersweet (robai)?

Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) is a deciduous shrub that opens translucent yellow flowers in January and February, earlier than the plum. Its Japanese name robai is written with the character for plum, so the two are often confused, but they belong to entirely different families. The first character means wax: the petals are semi-transparent and glossy, as though they had been modelled in it.

What does wintersweet smell like?

The scent is sweet and heavy, and on a still, cold day it carries a surprising distance across a garden. It is prized enough that the flower is used as a raw material in perfumery. A single sprig brought indoors is often enough to scent a whole room.

Where does wintersweet grow best?

It likes full sun and soil that drains freely, and it is very hardy in cold winters. A young shrub may carry only a few flowers for the first several years after planting; once the roots are established it blooms generously every year.