Kingfisher:

The common kingfisher is known as Alcedo Atthis scientifically and commonly known as river kingfisher or Eurasian kingfisher. There are almost seven subspecies of this bird. The bird is a sparrow sized one with a short tail and large head, which is a characteristic of this species. The bird has blue top parts, with the under parts being orange in colour and the bill is also long which can be easily identified. The bird eats mainly fishes and has a perfected dive to help it find fishes. The visual capabilities of this bird are exceptionally good letting it spot the prey even underwater.
The bird and its species were first written down by Linnaeus in the year 1758. The genus to which it belongs is the one under which most of the fish eating kingfisher species fall.
There is a patch on the bill base and also a similar patch on its ear. There is a green blue colour stripe around its neck and also a blaze around its neck and throat. The bill could be red at times in few tones. The feet and the legs of the bird are in bright red colour. The wingspan of the bird is almost 10 inches with the weight being a maximum of 46 grams.
The male and female kingfishers are identical in appearance with only a couple of differences. The lower mandible of the female bird is an orange red colour with a black tip to it. The younger ones would be quite alike them except a more dull appearance and green top body. The bill is black in colour with legs starting from a blackish tone, which eventually changes to a reddish colour as they grow up.
There is only a single species known around the Asian, European and North African geographies of the globe. This species is known as a small blue kingfisher. The common kingfisher does not have a song of its own and just makes its usual call while flying. The sound is a short and quite sharp whistle and it tends to repeat it a couple of times while flying. The call changes in case it is anxious or making a call for food.
The bird is distributed in huge numbers across Asia, North Africa and Europe. The bird prefers to be around slow-flowing water streams or rivers. The lakes and other water banks with good vegetation is the other preferred habitat for this bird. They can also be sighted along the swamps and mangrove creeks. The bird is quite environmental friendly and is a symbol of freshwater community health. These birds have huge numbers on the water areas with clear water and lot of trees or shrubs on its banks. The bird is solitary during most of the time and fights the other bird, if it enters its territory. They start pairing up during autumn season but still retain their own territory. They make a nest in burrow which is done by both the birds and that’s excavated to make a good large chamber. They can also accumulate some fishes into their nests for eating them later.