CreatureData

Common kingfisher

Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is a species in the family Alcedinidae, order Coraciiformes. It has been recorded in 117 countries, most often in France, India and Spain. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Photo: Artemy Voikhansky · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the common kingfisher

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
25 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Egg incubation
19.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
6.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Recorded in
117 countriessrc for Recorded in

How big is the common kingfisher?

COMMON KINGFISHER · WINGSPAN 25 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 25 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the common kingfisher is about 15% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Photos of the common kingfisher

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Luca Casale · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Shantanu Kuveskar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the common kingfisher live?

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF. This shows where the species has been recorded, including zoos and introduced populations. It is not a definitive range.

The common kingfisher has been recorded in 117 countries, from 1,830,509 records.

Fiji: 1 recordUnited States of America: 1 recordKazakhstan: 485 recordsUzbekistan: 323 recordsPapua New Guinea: 725 recordsIndonesia: 2,389 recordsSudan: 11 recordsRussia: 1,821 recordsNorway: 7,292 recordsTimor-Leste: 374 recordsFrance: 275,886 recordsCuba: 1 recordNamibia: 22 recordsBenin: 1 recordNigeria: 4 recordsCôte d'Ivoire: 1 recordIsrael: 29,053 recordsLebanon: 439 recordsPalestine: 217 recordsTunisia: 192 recordsAlgeria: 136 recordsJordan: 333 recordsUnited Arab Emirates: 2,232 recordsQatar: 140 recordsKuwait: 813 recordsIraq: 163 recordsOman: 985 recordsCambodia: 5,500 recordsThailand: 21,520 recordsLaos: 1,262 recordsMyanmar: 1,185 recordsVietnam: 5,198 recordsNorth Korea: 49 recordsSouth Korea: 9,034 recordsMongolia: 124 recordsIndia: 239,071 recordsBangladesh: 8,157 recordsBhutan: 994 recordsNepal: 6,307 recordsPakistan: 919 recordsAfghanistan: 87 recordsTajikistan: 218 recordsKyrgyzstan: 262 recordsTurkmenistan: 19 recordsIran: 2,081 recordsSyria: 23 recordsArmenia: 285 recordsSweden: 122,376 recordsBelarus: 1,265 recordsUkraine: 5,046 recordsPoland: 20,773 recordsAustria: 10,062 recordsHungary: 4,273 recordsMoldova: 353 recordsRomania: 2,983 recordsLithuania: 1,339 recordsLatvia: 601 recordsEstonia: 558 recordsGermany: 106,915 recordsBulgaria: 5,180 recordsGreece: 10,461 recordsTurkey: 17,738 recordsAlbania: 666 recordsCroatia: 5,663 recordsSwitzerland: 15,437 recordsLuxembourg: 4,125 recordsBelgium: 106,470 recordsNetherlands: 15,143 recordsPortugal: 61,112 recordsSpain: 171,504 recordsIreland: 8,004 recordsSolomon Is.: 295 recordsAustralia: 10 recordsSri Lanka: 14,750 recordsChina: 40,185 recordsTaiwan: 148,666 recordsItaly: 18,631 recordsDenmark: 4,158 recordsUnited Kingdom: 159,737 recordsIceland: 17 recordsAzerbaijan: 573 recordsGeorgia: 1,905 recordsPhilippines: 6,987 recordsMalaysia: 3,230 recordsBrunei: 50 recordsSlovenia: 3,496 recordsFinland: 1,371 recordsSlovakia: 4,338 recordsCzechia: 23,154 recordsJapan: 41,863 recordsSaudi Arabia: 571 recordsCyprus: 2,796 recordsMorocco: 1,463 recordsEgypt: 1,050 recordsLibya: 128 recordsBosnia and Herz.: 226 recordsMacedonia: 584 recordsSerbia: 3,422 recordsMontenegro: 630 records
  • None on record
  • 1–9
  • 10–99
  • 100–999
  • 1,000+
records per country · small islands are not drawn at this scale

The same figures as a list, most records first

  1. France275,886
  2. India239,071
  3. Spain171,504
  4. United Kingdom159,737
  5. Taiwan148,666
  6. Sweden122,376
  7. Germany106,915
  8. Belgium106,470
  9. Portugal61,112
  10. Japan41,863
  11. China40,185
  12. Israel29,053
  13. Czechia23,154
  14. Thailand21,520
  15. Poland20,773
  16. Italy18,631
  17. Türkiye17,738
  18. Switzerland15,437
  19. Netherlands15,143
  20. Sri Lanka14,750
  21. Hong Kong SAR China13,747
  22. Greece10,461
  23. Austria10,062
  24. South Korea9,034
  25. Bangladesh8,157
  26. Ireland8,004
  27. Norway7,292
  28. Philippines6,987
  29. Singapore6,436
  30. Nepal6,307
  31. Croatia5,663
  32. Cambodia5,500
  33. Vietnam5,198
  34. Bulgaria5,180
  35. Ukraine5,046
  36. Slovakia4,338
  37. Hungary4,273
  38. Denmark4,158
  39. Luxembourg4,125
  40. Slovenia3,496
Show 77 more countries
  1. Serbia3,422
  2. Malaysia3,230
  3. Romania2,983
  4. Cyprus2,796
  5. Indonesia2,389
  6. United Arab Emirates2,232
  7. Iran2,081
  8. Georgia1,905
  9. Russia1,821
  10. Morocco1,463
  11. Finland1,371
  12. Lithuania1,339
  13. Belarus1,265
  14. Laos1,262
  15. Myanmar (Burma)1,185
  16. Egypt1,050
  17. Bhutan994
  18. Oman985
  19. Pakistan919
  20. Kuwait813
  21. Papua New Guinea725
  22. Albania666
  23. Montenegro630
  24. Latvia601
  25. Macao SAR China587
  26. North Macedonia584
  27. Azerbaijan573
  28. Saudi Arabia571
  29. Estonia558
  30. Kazakhstan485
  31. Lebanon439
  32. Malta410
  33. Timor-Leste374
  34. Moldova353
  35. Jordan333
  36. Uzbekistan323
  37. Solomon Islands295
  38. Armenia285
  39. Kyrgyzstan262
  40. Bosnia & Herzegovina226
  41. Tajikistan218
  42. Palestinian Territories217
  43. Isle of Man201
  44. Tunisia192
  45. Iraq163
  46. Qatar140
  47. Algeria136
  48. Libya128
  49. Mongolia124
  50. Guernsey106
  51. Afghanistan87
  52. Bahrain72
  53. Gibraltar68
  54. Jersey59
  55. Kosovo55
  56. Brunei50
  57. North Korea49
  58. Liechtenstein30
  59. Cocos (Keeling) Islands27
  60. Syria23
  61. Namibia22
  62. Monaco20
  63. Turkmenistan19
  64. Iceland17
  65. Andorra11
  66. Sudan11
  67. Australia10
  68. Åland Islands5
  69. Christmas Island4
  70. Nigeria4
  71. Maldives2
  72. Benin1
  73. Côte d’Ivoire1
  74. Cuba1
  75. Fiji1
  76. Palau1
  77. United States1

What is the common kingfisher?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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.

Wikipedia contributors, “Common kingfisher”, Wikipedia (revision 1379243991), retrieved 2026-11-11. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0; this block is kept separate from our own text.

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.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. 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?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCoraciiformes
  5. familyAlcedinidae
  6. genusAlcedo
  7. SpeciesAlcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Gracula spec

Names in other languages (18)
  • Martin-pêcheur d'EuropeFrench
  • EisvogelGerman
  • Guarda-rios-comumPortuguese
  • ijsvogelDutch
  • kungsfiskareSwedish
  • カワセミJapanese
  • 普通翠鸟Chinese
  • قرلى مألوفArabic
  • छोटा किलकिलाHindi
  • обыкновенный зимородокRussian
  • Martín pescador comúnSpanish
  • Martin-pêcheur d’EuropeFrench
  • ЗимородокRussian
  • Martin pescatoreItalian
  • guarda-riosPortuguese
  • European kingfisherEnglish
  • KingfisherEnglish
  • martin-pêcheurFrench

GBIFWikidataWikipediaNCBI TaxonomyITISiNaturalistWoRMS

Relatives of the common kingfisher

Other species in the same class Aves.

LC, Least Concern
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Anatidae

LC, Least Concern
Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Bald eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Accipitridae

CompareCommon kingfisher vs MallardCommon kingfisher vs European robinCommon kingfisher vs Bald eagleCommon kingfisher vs Peregrine falcon

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the common kingfisher?

An adult common kingfisher has a wingspan of 25 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Where does the common kingfisher live?

The common kingfisher has openly licensed sighting records from 117 countries on GBIF. The most records come from France, India, Spain, United Kingdom and Taiwan. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

Is the common kingfisher endangered?

The common kingfisher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the common kingfisher?

The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) belongs to the family Alcedinidae in the order Coraciiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-kingfisher

MLA

“Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-kingfisher.

BibTeX
@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}
}