Kingfishers

Variable Dwarf Kingfisher

Kingfishers or Alcedinidae are a family of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found outside the Americas.

All kingfishers have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with only small differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests. They consume a wide range of prey usually caught by swooping down from a perch.

While kingfishers are usually thought to live near rivers and eat fish, many species live away from water and eat small invertebrates. Like other members of their order, they nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into the natural or artificial banks in the ground. Some kingfishers nest in arboreal termite nests.

Click on one of the thumbnails below to see a bigger photograph.

For more Photographs follow this link

Updated 28/07/2019

The family contains 114 species (of which I photographed 36 members so far and 4 species I photographed male as well as female) and is divided into three subfamilies:

River kingfishers (Alcedininae), I have photographed 8 of 35