Common Kingfisher

The Common Kingfisher is one of the most dazzling small birds of Eurasian waterways, a compact, big-headed bird with a long dagger-like bill and a body that seems to glow with iridescent color. The upperparts shimmer in brilliant turquoise-blue, brightest along the back in flight, while the underparts are a warm rich orange. A white patch on the throat and neck sides, along with an orange or black bill depending on sex, complete a strikingly beautiful package packed into a bird barely larger than a sparrow.

Often detected first by its shrill, piercing call as it darts low and fast over the water, the Common Kingfisher is more often heard or briefly glimpsed than watched at length, perching quietly on overhanging branches or wires before plunging suddenly for prey.

Key field marks

• Brilliant turquoise-blue upperparts, especially vivid on the back
• Rich orange underparts and cheek patch
• White throat patch and neck spot
• Long, straight, dagger-shaped bill; black in males, with orange-red on the lower mandible in females

Similar species

• No other small bird across most of its Eurasian range shares this combination of electric blue and orange coloring.
• Pied Kingfisher is much larger and entirely black and white, easily separated by pattern alone.
• Juveniles are duller and greener above with a dark breast band, briefly resembling a washed-out adult before molting into full color.

Common Kingfishers are found across a huge range spanning Europe, North Africa, and much of temperate to tropical Asia, generally near slow-flowing or still freshwater such as rivers, streams, canals, ponds, and lakes with clear water and suitable perches. They require earthen banks nearby in which to excavate nesting burrows.

Northern populations are migratory or partially migratory, moving south to escape freezing waters in winter, while populations in milder climates remain resident year-round; the species also occurs along sheltered coastal habitats outside the breeding season in some regions.

Behavior

Common Kingfishers hunt from a perch overlooking water, watching intently before diving headfirst to seize prey in their bill, often returning to the same perch to subdue and swallow the catch.

Voice

A sharp, shrill "chee" or "peep" call is frequently given in flight, often the first clue to a kingfisher's presence as it streaks past low over the water.

Feeding

Small fish form the bulk of the diet, supplemented by aquatic insects, tadpoles, and small crustaceans, captured in swift diving strikes from a perch or occasionally from hovering flight.

Nesting and breeding

Pairs excavate a long tunnel nest, often over half a meter deep, into a vertical earthen riverbank, ending in a small chamber where eggs are laid directly on the bare soil, sometimes lined with regurgitated fish bones over successive broods.