Kingfishers

All 3 species of kingfishers on WAnimals

Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 77 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…?

• Each chick goes from barely 3 grams at hatching to around 30 by the time it leaves the nest.

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• It is fiercely territorial because of how much it needs to eat each day.

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• It catches small fish by diving, supplemented with crustaceans and aquatic insects.

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• It digs a horizontal tunnel up to a metre deep into a river or lake bank to nest, rather than nesting in trees as other birds do.

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• The female is more colourful than the male, with an extra chestnut band across the belly: a reversal of the usual pattern found in only a handful of bird families.

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• It digs a tunnel of up to two metres into a bank with its bill and feet, sloping slightly upwards so that water cannot get in and droppings drain out.

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• With its bill and feet it digs a tunnel of up to two and a half metres into an earth bank, ending in a chamber where it lays its eggs straight onto the ground, with no nest.

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Ecosystems