adult

adult European distribution Adult perched

Identification

Their brilliant blue upperparts, deep red underparts, white face patches and unique shape make Kingfishers impossible to misidentify.

Habitat

Breeds along rivers, streams and lakes. Winters along lakes, rivers and estuaries; occasionally on rocky shores.

Behaviour

Before swallowing a fish they usually swing it against their perch to knock it out. They can then manouvre it so it can be easily swallowed head first.

Migration

Eastern European populations migrate into southern and western Europe favouring the British Isles, France, Spain and Italy. Some birds migrate to east Mediterranean and north African coasts.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Common Kingfisher is classed as Common: common species, including species that are certain or probable escapees from captivity when occurring in the British Isles. (Note that rarity levels are currently applied nationally and may not reflect local variations in abundance.)

undisc. site, Glamorgan 29/07/2010	Brandon Marsh, Warks 28/07/2010	Alphington, Devon 28/07/2010	Brandon Marsh, Warks 20/07/2010	Upton Warren, Worcs 28/07/2010
Alphington, Devon 27/07/2010	Alphington, Devon 27/07/2010	Alphington, Devon 27/07/2010	Rye Meads, Herts 25/07/2010	Rye Meads, Herts 25/07/2010

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Common Kingfisher breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Albania
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Britain
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lichtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Moldova
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine

http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob8310.htm   BTO BirdFacts: Common Kingfisher	Edit this link
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