Common kingfisher
Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758)
The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is a bird in the family Alcedinidae and the order Coraciiformes. It is a small bird with a representative adult body mass of 31.09 g, up to 43.8 g, and a wingspan of 25 cm.
Quick facts about the common kingfisher
This carnivore is an aquatic predator of riverine habitats, with a perching lifestyle and sedentary migration behaviour. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category, and checklists record it in Australia.
- Weight
- 31.1 g – 43.8 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 25 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 21 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- riverinesrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 20 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 6.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.5src for Litters or clutches a year
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
How big is the common kingfisher?
Photos of the common kingfisher
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the common kingfisher live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The common kingfisher is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the common kingfisher?
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.
From the Wikipedia article “Common kingfisher” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_kingfisher&oldid=1379243991), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the common kingfisher sound like?
Is the common kingfisher endangered?
The common kingfisher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the common kingfisher classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCoraciiformes
- familyAlcedinidae
- genusAlcedo
- SpeciesAlcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Alcedo atthis corsicana, Halcyon alcedo
Other names and names in other languages (158)
- Eurasian kingfisherEnglish
- European kingfisherEnglish
- KingfisherEnglish
- River kingfisherEnglish
- Eurasiese VisvangerAfrikaans
- رفراف شائعArabic
- السّماك الاعتياديArabic
- رفراف أوراسيArabic
- قرلي الشائعArabic
- صياد السمك الأخضرArabic
- صياد السمك الشائعArabic
- Martinet pescataireAragonese
- samartínAsturian
- VerderríosAsturian
- Adi balıqçılAzerbaijani
- Балыҡсы турғайBashkir
- ЗімародакBelarusian
- Звычайны зімародакBelarusian
- Звычайны зiмародакBelarusian
- Земеродно рибарчеBulgarian
- Обикновено земеродно рибарчеBulgarian
- পাতি মাছরাঙাBangla
- Diredig boutinBreton
- ArnerCatalan
- BlauetCatalan
- blauet comúCatalan
- tikarolCebuano
- Uwak-bataCebuano
- SelastChechen
- Коллоэц кекMari
- Пулӑҫ кайӑкChuvash
- Сенкер пулăç кайăкChuvash
- Қарлықcjs
- ledňáček říčníCzech
- LodôkKashubian
- Glas y DorlanWelsh
- Gleision y DorlanWelsh
- IsfuglDanish
- EisvogelGerman
- BlauspechtGerman
- EisenkeilGerman
- KönigsfischerGerman
- MartinsfischerGerman
- Sankt-Martins-VogelGerman
- UferspechtGerman
- WasserhähnleinGerman
- WasserspechtGerman
- ΑλκυόναGreek
- ΑλκυόνηGreek
- (Ευρωπαϊκή) ΑλκυόνηGreek
- Rivera alcionoEsperanto
- ordinara alcionoEsperanto
- Martín pescador comúnSpanish
- Martín pescador euroasiáticoSpanish
- jäälindEstonian
- Lõuna-jäälindEstonian
- Martin arrantzaleBasque
- PicapeciExtremaduran
- ماهیخورکPersian
- ماهی خورک کوچکPersian
- kuningaskalastajaFinnish
- ÍsfuglurFaroese
- KyrrfuglurFaroese
- martin-pêcheurFrench
- Martin-pêcheur d'EuropeFrench
- Martin-pêcheur d’EuropeFrench
- IisfûgelWestern Frisian
- CruidínIrish
- murlachScottish Gaelic
- Biorra cruideinScottish Gaelic
- Biorra crùideinScottish Gaelic
- biorra-crùideinScottish Gaelic
- iasgair an rìghScottish Gaelic
- iasgairean an rìghScottish Gaelic
- murlaicheanScottish Gaelic
- PicapeixeGalician
- Easteyr beg ny hawinManx
- Eeasteyr beg ny hawinManx
- שלדג גמדיHebrew
- मछरेंगाHindi
- कौड़िल्लीHindi
- छोटा किलकिलाHindi
- jégmadárHungarian
- Երկնագույն ԱլկիոնArmenian
- Raja-udang erasiaIndonesian
- Martin-peskeroIdo
- BláþyrillIcelandic
- Martin pescatoreItalian
- Martin pescatore comuneItalian
- カワセミJapanese
- ალკუნიGeorgian
- ПсыкъуаргъKabardian
- Кöк обааkjh
- ЗымыранKazakh
- ನೀಲಿ ಮಿಂಚುಳ್ಳಿKannada
- 물총새Korean
- 물총새속Korean
- Masîxwerê koçoç ê keskKurdish
- Pyscajor an myghternCornish
- AlcedoLatin
- ÄisvullLuxembourgish
- paprastasis tulžysLithuanian
- TulžysLithuanian
- zivju dzenītisLatvian
- кугынерMari
- колгайыкMari
- рибарчеMacedonian
- ചെറിയ മീൻകൊത്തിMalayalam
- Għasfur ta' San MartinMaltese
- Нохой шогширMongolian
- सामान्य ढिवरMarathi
- Raja UdangMalay
- IesvagelLow German
- IjsvogelDutch
- Pêque-rochePicard
- zimorodek zwyczajnyPolish
- ZimorodekPolish
- zimorodek (zwyczajny)Polish
- Martin pëscheurPiedmontese
- guarda-riosPortuguese
- guarda-rios-comumPortuguese
- PestgaderinRomansh
- Pescăraş albastruRomanian
- Pescăraș albastruRomanian
- Pescăruș albastruRomanian
- ЗимородокRussian
- Обыкновенный зимородокRussian
- МорозюкRusyn
- GonagasfiskárNorthern Sami
- jiekŋaloddiNorthern Sami
- rybárik riečnySlovak
- vodomecSlovenian
- Bilbil ujiAlbanian
- VodomarSerbian
- ВодомарSerbian
- Vodomar / ВодомарSerbian
- Aciufa aciufaSardinian
- IesfuugelSaterland Frisian
- kungsfiskareSwedish
- Mdiria wa UlayaSwahili
- மீன்கொத்திTamil
- சிறு நீல மீன்கொத்திTamil
- นกกะเต็นน้อยธรรมดาThai
- นกกระเต็นน้อยธรรมดาThai
- ZaplyTurkmen
- salaksakFilipino
- YalıçapkınıTurkish
- Bayağı YalıçapkınıTurkish
- Көк шиижекTuvinian
- РибалочкаUkrainian
- рибалочка блакитнийUkrainian
- PionbinVenetian
- Bồng chanhVietnamese
- YsveugelWest Flemish
- IesveugelZeelandic
- 普通翠鳥Chinese
- 普通翠鸟Chinese
- 翠鳥Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the common kingfisher
Other species in the same genus Alcedo.
Blue-eared kingfisher
Alcedo meninting
Blyth's kingfisher
Alcedo hercules
Javan blue-banded kingfisher
Alcedo euryzona
Cerulean kingfisher
Alcedo coerulescens
Shining-blue kingfisher
Alcedo quadribrachys
Half-collared kingfisher
Alcedo semitorquata
CompareCommon kingfisher vs Blue-eared kingfisherCommon kingfisher vs Blyth's kingfisherCommon kingfisher vs Javan blue-banded kingfisherCommon kingfisher vs Cerulean kingfisher
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the common kingfisher?
The common kingfisher is a bird in the family Alcedinidae, order Coraciiformes. It is also called the River kingfisher, European kingfisher or Eurasian kingfisher.
How heavy is the common kingfisher?
It has a representative adult body mass of 31.09 g, with values up to 43.8 g reported. Its wingspan is 25 cm.
What does the common kingfisher eat?
The common kingfisher is an aquatic predator and a carnivore.
Is the common kingfisher endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the common kingfisher live?
Sources give a lifespan of 21 years for the common kingfisher.
How many eggs does the common kingfisher lay?
It lays 6.5 eggs per clutch, with 1.5 clutches per year. The eggs are incubated for 20 days.
Which countries is the common kingfisher recorded in?
Checklists record the common kingfisher in Australia.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-kingfisher
“Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-kingfisher.
@misc{common_kingfisher_2026,
title = {Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-kingfisher},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}