Northern Europe Birds · May

Common Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

Jewel-bright riverside hunter of Europe and Asia.

At a glance

HabitatClean rivers, streams, lakes with perches

DietSmall fish and aquatic insects

RangeEurope, North Africa, much of Asia

Coloring posediving toward river surface

Hear this bird

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Mating / display: No separately labeled courtship recording was found on primary sources for this species — use the general calls page.

Listen on Xeno-canto Wikipedia overview

How to know it

Electric blue upperparts, warm orange underparts
Long dagger bill
Often a turquoise flash along a stream

Fun facts

Dives headfirst from a perch
Nests in burrows in steep banks
Despite the name, not the only kingfisher

Companion page for the Birds Coloring Calendar series by R. J. D. B. Fact summaries are original educational text. Call playback via outbound links only. Not affiliated with Cornell Lab, Audubon, or Xeno-canto.

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