Common Kingfisher Identification
Its scientific name is 'Alcedo atthis', from the family Alcedinidae (order Coraciiformes).
What I look like
The size of the kingfisher is between that of a sparrow and a blackbird.
It is small and stocky with a short neck, legs, and tail.
The upper body is in metallic blue tones with a darker greenish-blue crown and wings.
The lighter plumage of the back and tail is more distinct in flight.
The underside is orange.
It has a blue-green crown, a white throat, and two orange and white patches on the cheek and side of the neck.
It has a proportionally long beak compared to its size.
The male has an all-black beak.
While the female has a reddish base on the lower part of the beak.
Juveniles have duller and greener plumage with grayish legs instead of reddish.
My songs, my calls
It is often heard calling as it flies just above the water.
Its call is a sharp, brief, and piercing whistle "zii" "zii-ti" similar to the call of the Dunnock.
When excited to repel an intruder, it produces rapid series of sharp and vibrating sounds "ti trrri ti trrr".
How I behave
The kingfisher is quite shy.
It is often perched and motionless at the water's edge.
Its sparkling plumage is noticeable in flight, darting over the water. Hence its nickname "blue arrow".
Its flight is very fast and direct thanks to very rapid wingbeats (up to 80 km/h).
It patrols its stretch of river or watches from its perch to monitor its territory.
As an adult, it is a solitary bird that defends its territory from other individuals of its species over about 1 km of the watercourse.
How I reproduce
The kingfisher nests near calm, wooded waterways.
It digs its nest in sandy banks about 1 meter above the water.
It places its nest at the end of a tunnel, one meter long.
The courtship display is noisy, with the male and female chasing each other and offering fish.
The pair typically produces 2 broods per year (sometimes 3 or 4).
The chicks are fed fish.
During feeding, the chicks are arranged in a star shape, with their beaks facing outward and are fed one by one.
The chick facing the entrance of the tunnel is fed first, then the star rotates to feed the next chick.
In winter, the male and female separate but continue to defend the common territory.
What I eat
The kingfisher is piscivorous.
It primarily eats fish and sometimes small crustaceans, insects, and amphibians.
It hunts by waiting at the water's edge.
Sometimes it watches the water's surface while hovering.
It successfully captures its prey after a dive, accelerated by rapid wingbeats.
It captures fish by surprise thanks to its aerodynamic beak that allows it to enter the water without splashing.
Its short and rounded wings provide a good grip on the water for quickly emerging.
Back on its perch, it stuns its prey and swallows it head first to avoid the resistance of the fins.
Sometimes it can be seen tossing its fish in the air to position it correctly.
After its meal, it expels a pellet of undigested parts (scales, bones, insect shells).
Where to find me
It is mainly found near slow-moving, tree-lined watercourses.
It is sedentary or a medium-distance migrant.
In winter, with the appearance of snow and ice (as in northern and eastern Europe), it migrates to more temperate areas and will return to its territory the following spring.
It can live up to 15 years.
It is threatened by the destruction of wetlands and pollution of surface waters. It is a bioindicator of the quality of the environment.