Common kingfisher

The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher. Like most kingfishers, it needs a perch to do its fishing. Usual is to see it on a tree branch overlooking a river.

Common kingfisher
A kingfisher capturing a tadpole
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Alcedinidae
Genus:	Alcedo
Species:	A. atthis
Binomial name
Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Breeding range   Resident all year-round   Non-breeding range

There are seven subspecies in its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident over much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.

This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts, and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish caught by diving, and has special visual adaptions to see its prey underwater. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.