A jewel of riverbanks worldwide, the common kingfisher dives with precision to catch fish in clear waters. Its iridescent plumage is created not by pigment but by light diffraction through nano-scale feather structures.
Gallery
Kingfisher diving
© Unsplash
Perched on a branch
© Unsplash
Vocalizations
Flight call
Thames, UK
Grade A
0:22
Recordings sourced from Xeno-canto. Quality grades: A (excellent) to E (poor).
Distribution & Habitat
Europe, Asia, North Africa
View on interactive map →RiversLakesCoastal Streams
Classification
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Season
- Year-round (resident)
- Diet
- Fish, Aquatic insects, Crustaceans
Measurements
- Wingspan
- 24–26 cm
- Length
- 16–17 cm
- Weight
- 34–46 g
Data Sources
- eBird
- iNaturalist
- Xeno-canto