Common, or Eurasian, kingfisher
The Common, or Eurasian, kingfisher is a small, vibrant bird native to Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe, typically found in wooded areas near clean water sources like rivers and streams. Measuring about six to seven inches in length and weighing around one ounce, it is characterized by its striking plumage, featuring bluish-green back feathers and reddish-orange underparts. This bird is an adept hunter, primarily feeding on fish, crustaceans, and various aquatic insects, and it is known to consume a substantial amount each day—up to 60% of its body weight.
Common kingfishers build their nests in burrows on riverbanks, where they incubate their eggs cooperatively. The breeding season lasts from May to September, and after a 19 to 21-day incubation period, the young fledge about three weeks later. Highly territorial, these kingfishers will defend their fishing grounds vigorously against intruders. Their remarkable hunting technique involves diving headfirst into the water at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. With a lifespan averaging two years, the Common kingfisher plays a crucial role in its ecosystem, requiring clean, unpolluted waters for survival.
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Common, or Eurasian, kingfisher
The common, or Eurasian, kingfisher is a species of bird native to Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe. They typically live in wooded areas near a water source. The are notable for their small size and brightly color patterns. Kingfishers are skilled at hunting and catching fish.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Genus: Alcedo
Species: Atthis
The adult common, or Eurasian, kingfisher grows to a length of six to seven inches (15 to 18 centimeters) and weighs one ounce (24 grams). The bird's wingspan, or the length from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other, is 10 inches (25 centimeters) long. The adult common kingfisher has attractive plumage, or feathering. Its back feathers are a bluish green and help to camouflage, or hide, the bird as it flies over the water in search of fish. Its bottom feathers are a reddish-orange color, as is a strip below its eyes. Below its short, black bill, there is a small patch of white feathers. The kingfisher's feet and legs are red. It has two partially-webbed toes on each foot.
The common kingfisher lives along the banks of rivers and streams where the shallow water is sheltered from wind and waves. Because its diet is made up of fish and other aquatic life, it must live in areas where the water is unpolluted. The bird often picks a spot where the riverbanks are lined with tree stumps and overhanging branches. It often sits upon these high perches and watches for fish in the water below.
A kingfisher will spend a significant portion of its day diving underwater for fish, yet it is unable to swim. When the common kingfisher spots a fish, it swoops down from its perch and plunges headfirst into the water, its wings tucked tightly against its body. The kingfisher can achieve speeds of up to 25 miles per hour (up to 40 kilometers per hour). This procedure requires great timing and accuracy. After taking the prey in its bill, the kingfisher rises quickly to the surface and flies back to its perch. Before eating the fish, the common kingfisher hits it against a branch to stun it. When a common kingfisher eats a fish, it swallows it headfirst. This keeps the bird from choking on the fish's fins and spine. A family of six common kingfishers can eat up to 100 fish a day. Each individual kingfisher will eat up to 60 percent of its body weight daily.
The common kingfisher also subsists on a diet of minnows and sticklebacks, crustaceans, such as crabs and shrimp, frogs and aquatic and land insects.
The common kingfisher's nest is built into the side of a riverbank a few feet (around one meter) above the waterline. This keeps the nest safe from predators like weasels. The male common kingfisher attempts to attract a female to his nest. If a female shows interest in the male but his nest is not complete, she helps him chip away at the soil until the tunnel-like nest is finished. The male does not end his courtship once the female has entered his nest. He continues to court her by bringing her food. He does this by crouching in front of her, with his wings down by his side, and stretching forward with his offering.
Sometime during the breeding season, which runs from May to September, the female lays a clutch of six to seven white eggs. She lays the clutch in a chamber at the end of the nest's tunnel. Both the male and the female birds incubate the eggs. They do this by gently sitting on the eggs and using the heat from their bodies to keep the eggs warm. The eggs do not hatch if they are not incubated. After an incubation period of 19 to 21 days, the eggs hatch. The young are born without feathers and must stay close to one another for warmth. The young birds are able to fly after 23 to 27 days.
Because good fishing spots are critical, the common kingfisher is very territorial. This means it will attack other kingfishers that move into its area. When kingfishers fight, oftentimes one will try to hold on to the other's beak and force it underwater.
The average life span of the common kingfisher is two years.
Other similar species:
- Cerulean kingfisher (Alcedo coerulescens)
- Javan blue-banded kingfisher (Alcedo euryzona)
- Shining blue kingfisher (Alcedo quadribrachys)
- Blue-eared kingfisher (Alcedo meninting)
Bibliography
“Common Kingfisher.” Animalia, 2024, animalia.bio/common-kingfisher. Accessed 9 Apr. 2024.
Gardner, Ryan. “Alcedo Atthis Common Kingfisher.” Animal Diversity Web, 2006, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Alcedo‗atthis. Accessed 9 Apr. 2024.
Parry, Sharon. “Kingfisher Shows Exactly How It Got Its Name.” A-Z Animals, 27 Nov. 2023, a-z-animals.com/blog/king-fisher-shows-exactly-how-it-got-its-name. Accessed 9 Apr. 2024.