Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758)

A small kingfisher with a short tail and large head and long bill. Blue upperparts and orange underparts.

Although called ‘Common’, this little bird, once known as the Small Blue Kingfisher, is far less common than its White-Throated cousin. It has blue-green and turquoise upperparts, orange underparts and ear-coverts, and a white throat. Its blue bill is long and pointed, the tail is short and stumpy, and its feet bright orange. It is usually seen alone at streams, rivers and lakes including Keezhnathur, often perched on a branch, overhanging the water. It is not seen on the Hill or the surrounding farms. As it scans the water for prey it will bob its head and jerk its tail. It is often spotted as a flash of blue and turquoise, flying fast and low over the water, and uttering its shrill chichee, chichee. It feeds on small fish, tadpoles and aquatic insects which it catches by diving off its overhanging perch into the water.

The usual months are from March to June. Favourite sites are the banks of streams, tanks and ditches into which are burrowed horizontal tunnels about 2 inches in diameter and from a foot to 4 feet in length, terminating in a widened nest chamber 5 or 6 inches across. An evil stench invariably pervades the abode, caused by the indiscriminate litter of fish bones and the remains of hard-shelled insects disgorged by the birds. The normal clutch consists of five to seven eggs— pure white, roundish ovals with a high gloss. Both sexes share in excavating the nest-tunnel, incubation and feeding the young.

About that of the House-Sparrow, with a short stumpy tail and a long, straight pointed bill.

A dapper blue and green little kingfisher, with deep rust coloured underparts. Sexes alike.

This little kingfisher is commonly found by streams, village tanks, roadside puddles, kutcha wells, brackish backwaters and even at pools left by the receding tide on the rocky seashore. It avoids forest and torrential hill streams. The bird is normally seen singly, perched on some favourite stake or stone standing in water, or on an overhanging branch or reed stem, keeping a look out for prey sailing past or rising near the surface, from time to time it bobs its head, turning it from side to side, and jerks its stub tail to the accompaniment of little subdued clicks. It darts swiftly over the water from one part of the stream or tank to another, uttering a sharp chi-chcc, chi-chec. Now and again it will suddenly drop from its perch, bill foremost, and disappear with a splash below the surface, presently to emerge; with a small fish held crosswise in its bill. With this, it usually dashes off at top speed to another perch some distance away where the quarry is battered to pulp and swallowed, head first. Occasionally it also hovers over the water and plunges in after prey in the manner of the pied Kingfisher. Its diet consists of small fish, tadpoles, water beetles and their larva;, and other aquatic insects.

Streams, canals, ditches, ponds, rivers and lakes in open country.

Seen singly, by stream, tank or puddle ; perched on an overhanging branch or flying swiftly near the surface.

IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1