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Common Kingfisher

Also known as Alcedo atthis

species of bird

OverviewAI-generated

The Common Kingfisher (*Alcedo atthis*) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae, belonging to the order Coraciiformes. It is classified within the class Aves and the phylum Chordata. The taxon is a member of the parent genus *Alcedo* and is characterized by oviparity. Its primary food source consists of Osteichthyes.

This species inhabits freshwater environments and has a range that includes Hefei, Indonesia, the Nanling Mountains, and Africa. It has been awarded Bird of the Year. Physical measurements indicate a wingspan of 25 and a mass of 4.3. Reproductive data includes a litter size of 6.5 and an egg incubation period of 19.5.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Common Kingfisher as Least Concern, a status recorded in 2024. However, its regional conservation status is Near Threatened. The species is accepted in the World Register of Marine Species and has been referenced by 626 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 36 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, IUCN Red List, iNaturalist, WoRMS, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Least Concern

kingfisher

Species

PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderCoraciiformes
FamilyAlcedinidae

Habitatfreshwater

Observations59,509

via IUCN

~15 min read

Encyclopedic overview

The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in 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 adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Common Kingfisher” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.