Eurasian Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Scientific Name: Alcedo atthis (Alcedinidae).

English Name: Eurasian Kingfisher; River Kingfisher (Kingfisher family).

French Name: Martin-pêcheur d'Europe (='European fisher Martin').

5 Key Characters:

• cheeks and breast orange-red.
• buff white throat and neck spots.
• wings blue green and back shining blue.
• bill black (females have orange on the lower part).
• feet bright orange-red.

Lookalikes:

Habitat: Along the banks of sheltered, clean, shallow water bodies. Nests in steep banks.

Status: In regression and affected by hard winters, polluted rivers, canalisation, agricultural drainage causing water courses to be cloudy and disturbance by man.

Photographed by Loire Valley Nature: