Species Guide: Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Family: Alcedinidae
APPEARANCE
The Common or Eurasian Kingfisher is instantly recognizable with shiny metallic blue plumage on its head and back. Significantly, they are frequently seen as a flash of blue as they dart past at lightning speed. They have orange-brown plumage on their chest and underwings, and further, the bill is long and black. To distinguish a male and female, look at the lower mandible; the female has an orange-red lower mandible, whereas, the male upper and lower mandibles are completely black.
The Kingfisher is often heard before being seen due to their distinctive call.
Common Kingfisher flight call:
Teet Sirotkin, xeno-canto.org
Diet
The Common Kingfisher is an expert at fishing. It dives into the water to catch invertebrates such as freshwater shrimp and small fish like sticklebacks and minnows.
HABITAT
The Kingfisher is found across the British Isles, although, their range doesn’t extend into the far north of Scotland. Kingfishers inhabit lowland areas around rivers and canals during the summer months, and often move to coastal areas during the winter months for more favorable fishing conditions. Significantly, the occurrence and abundance of Kingfishers is a good indicator of water quality within a region1.
Note, this map is provided as a rough illustration of animal distribution across the UK.2 Whereby, light green indicates established populations.
Behavior
The Kingfisher will typically sit on a perch above the surface of the water and then wait for prey to appear within their diving depth range. Once prey is located, they can dive to a depth of 25cm with their wings closed. Interestingly, after snatching their prey, they open their wings underwater to increase their bouyancy and return to their perches. Kingfishers eat prey whole, and later regurgitate the indigestible bones.
Kingfishers nest by excavating a tunnel into riverbanks, whereby, nesting normally commences in April and continues throughout July. Both male and female birds excavate a nest chamber, and the female lays a clutch of up to 7 eggs. Mating pairs typically have 2 broods per year, but it is not unknown for them to have 3 broods if conditions are favorable. Both parents incubate the eggs for 20 days, after hatching the nestlings take nearly a month to be fully fledged.
Biometrics
Key biometrics for the Common Kingfisher are:3
| Wing Length | 76-82 mm |
| Body Weight | 34.5-35.5 grams |
| Longevity | 2 Years |
NATURAL PREDATORS
Birds of prey target the Common Kingfisher, including the sparrowhawk and merlin. Both mammals & reptiles target the nest sites of Kingfishers, and includes American mink, foxes, and snakes.
Conservation Status
Presently, water quality and seasonal variations in weather are the main drivers impacting the abundance of Kingfishers. Historically, Kingfishers were persecuted for their feathers, and used in fly fishing and hat decoration. The birds were often stuffed for display in cases. Populations are currently stable, leading to them being green-listed.
U.K.
Conservation Status
Global
Conservation Status
CITATIONS
- Peris, Salvador & Rodriguez, R.. (1996). Some factors related to distribution by breeding Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis L.). Polish Journal of Ecology. 44. 31-38. [Accessed 15/03/2025] ↩︎
- European Breeding Bird Atlas [Accessed 15/03/2025] ↩︎
- Featherbase: Common Kingfisher [Accessed 15/03/2025] ↩︎
REFERENCES
- The Birds of the Western Palearctic, Concise Edition
