118 species of small to medium, brightly coloured birds with large heads and long, sharp bills. Many don’t live by water or eat fish at all: they catch small invertebrates away from rivers.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatForest, Rivers & lakes, Rainforest
ColoursBlue, Orange, White
SizeTiny
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives alone
Lives for5–7 years
Can fly
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Worldwide, but most species live in the tropics of Africa, Asia and Oceania.
- What it eats
- Fish for some; many species take small invertebrates, swooping down from a perch.
Did you know
Its beak shape was copied for the nose of the Japanese bullet train.
Kingfishers nest in tunnels dug into banks, and some nest inside termite mounds in trees.
Often confused with
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