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The river kingfishers or pygmy kingfishers, subfamily Alcedininae, are one of the three subfamilies of kingfishers. The river kingfishers are widespread through Africa and east and south Asia as far as Australia, with one species, the common kingfisher ( Alcedo atthis ) also appearing in Europe and northern Asia.
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.
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Kingfishers usually hunt from an exposed perch; when a prey item is observed, the kingfisher swoops down to snatch it, then returns to the perch. Kingfishers of all three families beat larger prey against a perch to kill the prey and to dislodge or break protective spines and bones. Having beaten the prey, it is manipulated and then swallowed. [14]
It is a small kingfisher, around 13 cm (5.1 in) in length. In Southern Africa, the reference size is 14cm [12] and in East Africa [13] and Ethiopia, 12cm. [14] The general color of the upper parts of the adult bird is bright metallic blue. The head has a short crest of black and blue feathers, which gives rise to the scientific name.
Ceyx (/ ˈ s iː ɪ k s / SEE-icks) is an Old World genus of river kingfishers. [2] These kingfishers are found from South East Asia to the Solomon Islands.. The genus was introduced by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799, and derives its name from the Greek myth of Alcyone and Ceyx. [3]
As the kingfisher flies about its habitat, it frequently emits a characteristic rattling call. [21] Accordingly, a small group of belted kingfishers is known as a rattle, concentration, or kerfuffle. [22] [23] This bird nests in a horizontal tunnel made in a river bank or sand bank and excavated by both parents.
River kingfisher; C. Ceyx (bird) Corythornis; I. Ispidina This page was last edited on 30 May 2018, at 03:36 (UTC). Text is available under the Creative ...