Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

[ENG] Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Spread: The kingfisher is rare in southern Finland, more commonly it can be found in Central Europe, Asia and Africa.

Description: The kingfisher thrives by the river and makes her nest in the ridge. This migratory bird and starts its migration when its home river freezes. The kingfisher does not survive cold winters, which also forces it move down south for the winter.

General: The kingfisher is the size of a sparrow and lays 7-9 small round eggs. Its diet consists mainly of small fish and seashell. The Kingfisher flies low and fast above the water level and sometimes pours over the water and plunges into the catch. In most cases, it sits on a branch above the water surface and stares at the water. After discovering the prey, it makes the lightning crash into the water and returns to the branch to kill its prey with strong shocks against the branch. A funny description of the bird is that it flies like a gleaming blue shot above the water surface. The King Fisherman has a built-in polarizing filter in the eye, which removes reflections from the surface of the water and makes it easier to see the catch. Underwater, its vision is no longer as good, which is why it favors slow moving waterways.

In the pictures:

A - Kingfisher on branch (picture: Tom Ahlström)

B - Kingfisher on branch (picture: Tom Ahlström)