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Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus,1758)


Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus,1758)
Photo Information
Copyright: Ena Simic (Ena) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 359 W: 61 N: 568] (2327)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-10-28
Categories: Birds
Exposure: f/3.2, 1/60 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-11-03 7:26
Viewed: 1306
Favorites: 4 [view]
Points: 70
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This is the kingfisher while "hibernating". If you put the bird on the back, it won't be able to fly away, but it is very alive! This picture is taken in a Ringing camp in Croatia. This is a young female. The bird is perfectly ok and it happily few away after I've put a ring on its leg.

Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus,1758)

This is the kingfisher while hibernating. If you put the bird on the back, it won't be able to fly away, but it is very alive! This picture is taken in a Ringing camp in Croatia. This is a young female. This bird is perfectly ok and it happily flew away after I put a ring on its leg.

The Common Kingfisher or the European Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), has a very wide distribution over Eurasia and Africa. This striking blue bird lives primarily besides water bodies.

Distribution

This species is widely distributed over Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is largely a resident species, but may migrate short distances from northern areas where the water surfaces freeze.

Habitat: It is a bird of the waterside, since it feeds entirely upon aquatic animals. It is frequent beside lakes, ponds, canals or dykes and streams. In winter, especially when inland waters are icebound, it may move to tidal marshes and the shore, taking its stand on the mussel or limpet covered rocks and diving into the shallow pools.

In most of its European range it is the only kingfisher. It may often be confused with the Small Blue Kingfisher, with which it overlaps in the southern areas of most of its range.


Description

Size: Slightly larger than a sparrow (ca. 18-19cm., with wings averaging 7.5 cm),
Appearance: Adult is bright metallic blue in the upper parts, cobalt on the back, and showing greenish reflections on the head and wings. The ear coverts and under parts are warm chestnut, the chin and sides of neck white.
The bill of the female is blackish and reddish orange at the base; the bill of the male is all black; the legs are bright red with a dark blue stripe. In the young the bill is black.
Flight: The flight of the Kingfisher is rapid, the short rounded wings whirring until they appear a mere blur. It usually flies near the water, but during courtship the male chases the female through and over the trees with loud shrill whistles.
The Kingfisher sometimes hovers over the water, with body held almost vertical, the tail and head bent slightly forward and the bill inclined downward.
Courtship: From February onwards the male has a trilling song, a modulated repetition of many whistles. He also signals with a whistle to the female when he is feeding her, this being his share of the nesting duties. This whistle is produced even when his bill is loaded with food, yet is clear and distinct. The female will reply and emerge from the nesting hole, and may fly to meet him, take the fish from him in the air, and return to the nest.

Food

The bird has regular perches or stands from which it fishes. These may be a few inches or many feet above the water. It sits upright, its tail pointed downwards. It drops suddenly with a splash and usually returns at once with a struggling captive.

Large fish are beaten on a bough or rail; small fish and insects are promptly swallowed. A fish is usually lifted and carried by its middle, but its position is changed, sometimes by tossing it into the air, before it is swallowed head downwards.

Fish, aquatic insects and crustaceans are eaten. It eats numerous freshwater shrimps Gammarus.


Breeding

The nest is a tunnel in a sandy bank, usually, though not always over water. Both birds excavate, except when an old hole of a Sand Martin or Water Vole is appropriated. Most incline upward for about three feet before the nesting chamber is reached.

There is no nest, but the six to seven or even more round pink-white eggs are placed on a litter of fish bones and disgorged pellets. The first clutch is usually laid in April, but second broods are often in the nest at the end of July, and an exceptional case of young in early October is recorded.

The young come to the mouth of the hole to be fed when old enough. They are at first without down and clothed with numerous small blue feathers. Their bills are steel-blue and their feet lighter colored than adults. When they leave the nest they differ little from their parents, except that the colours are duller, the spot on the neck is buff, and the grey margins to the breast feathers give a mottled appearance. Their call is then an insistent, continuous trill.

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Genus: Alcedo
Species: A. atthis

Wikipedia
thor68, CatherineD, paulw, martic, dejo, Patleboss, Alma, Art256, EOSF1, peter_stoeckl, keanhoon, juhi, gondox, nirmalroberts, parvulescubio, Broglia, Necipp, izler, jusninasirun, Hil, CatStevens has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To bogdan: birdsEna 1 01-19 01:31
To Nephrotome2: ExplanationEna 2 11-25 10:55
To sayat: KingfisherEna 1 11-05 09:47
To thor68: explanationEna 2 11-05 03:45
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • dejo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 354 W: 51 N: 475] (2048)
  • [2007-11-03 8:02]

Hi Ena,
Interesting picture & pose!
He is so cute
Great colors and sharpness
Dejan

Hi Ena,
I just had fun with your picture...
It made me remind of my "experiments" with birds time ago, when I was a child, and I did it with goldfinches, chaffinchs, siskins,...
I had never found an explanation to this behaviour and I thought it was a sort of self-defence mechanism against "powerful" enemies...
Well, glad to hear kingfisher was alive and free...
TFS, Marta

I feel better knowing the bird is alive. ha ha ha
How strange...I didn't know they would hibernate like this.
What a beautiful bird!!!!
Great colors. WOW!
:)

  • Great 
  • sayat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 267 W: 0 N: 181] (1037)
  • [2007-11-05 3:01]
  • [+]

Very interesting. Nice to know that. The question is, how to catch it and make it lie on its back? :)
Great shot, thanks.

this parrot is dead. or is it just resting? *g*

cool thing, this hibernation, i tried it with our parakeet once, but that did not work that well.
nice capture with wonderful colors and amazing details.
well done & best wishes, thor.

Hi Ena,

This is a beautiful bird you have there. A bit too tightly cropped. But good.

Your note is very uselful.

Good work,

TFS, Kiran

Hi Ena,
Very interesting note because it did not know about this strange behaviour. Very nice details of one of my favorite birds.
Regards,
Catherine

  • Great 
  • martic Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 178 W: 2 N: 144] (1245)
  • [2007-11-06 14:15]

Hello Ena,
amazing picture and pose,good colors and sharpness, perfect detail of plumage
thank you
friendly
Jean-Michel

What a strange and amazing capture this is Ena. Never seen or knew about this behavior. Well done.

Hi Ena!

This is a very interesting shot. I looked at it for a while....it's really amazing.
I never know that this bird does something like that. Beautiful, sharp capture.
Excellent clarity, very well composed.

Ileana

Hello Ena,
fantasitic and unusual shot, wonderfull and warm colors very well satured, great focus and deeph of field is just great, lovely composition,
a great cheer,
friendly,
Pat

I thought this was yoga. :)

Very interesting facts about the hibernating kingfisher. Your pic is a nice demo of that fact.

Isn't she supposed to be in her burrow if hibernating?
How did you catch him?
Did he fly out the burrow. He is not in sleeping phase then. How comes tghe on-the-back tric works then?
Did you collect him from the burrow? Is the burrow destroyed then? Won't it freeze to death without burrow? How you could get this shot is a real puzzle for me.

TFS
JM

  • Great 
  • Alma Silver Star Critiquer [C: 13 W: 0 N: 1] (8)
  • [2007-11-13 5:05]

Hello Ena,
Mai visto che un uccello possa fare una cosa del genere!
Belli colori e perfetta nitidezza!
Alma

  • Great 
  • Art256 (43)
  • [2007-11-20 11:29]

Hi Ena
Very nice foto and bird of course. He is so cute
How did you catch him?
Your note is very uselful.
Well done
Regards
Arek

bonjour ena
j'avais entendu parlé de ce comportement specifique,mais je n'avais jamais vu!
c'est une chance d'avoir pu prendre cette photo,je traque le martin pecheur mais helas je ne peux l'avoir d'aussi prés.
bravo et merci.
laurent

  • Great 
  • EOSF1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1278 W: 104 N: 4479] (20047)
  • [2007-11-28 4:54]

Incredible moment with a nice sharpness, great colors and a very good note. Very interresting !

Mario

Hello Ena,
certainly the most unusual pose I've seen so far from a living bird. I love this posting for its clear details, vivid colours, and above all for its refreshling matter-of-fact approach. Thanks for the explanation in your notes. Putting a ring on a kingfisher's leg - you got a very nice job to do.
With thanks, and all my best wishes.
Peter

Ova je izvrsna, strašna poa

Hello Ena,
What a weird pose!!
This is new to me and an interesting piece of information...
Super details in the bird, and I have to admit I find the situation quite amusing!
Greetings,
Pablo -

  • Great 
  • gondox Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 234 W: 57 N: 190] (1021)
  • [2008-01-01 15:32]

Hi Ena,
and thanks for ensuring she's not dead :)
I never saw a bird in such a position, so is very interesting to me. And the image is very fine too.
TFS!
Regards,
Andor

Hello Ena,
Thanks a lot to let me know this interesting fact. Very interesting to see a bird lying down on a table top with open eyes.
Regards,
- Nirmal

Hi Ena,
hihi, you have your favorite bird in the hand...
absolute superb bird

L

Amazing colours and such sharp detail Ena. The pose is somewhat bizarre, but fascinating nonetheless. Excellent work. Regards, Roberto

very strange, I don't know that

  • Great 
  • Tabib Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 105 W: 5 N: 101] (462)
  • [2008-01-12 19:54]

Hi!

Thanks for the info and showing this exception pose.
Look like she is at the OT (operation theatre)

/Tabib/.

Very good quality of most of your photos.I like getting pictures with birds ,too,because of their colors but I never had the chance to get them so close.All what I know about these small creatures is that they die if you hold them to much in hand or in captivity.Is that right?

Hi Ena,
A new knowledge about Kingfisher hibernation. Wonderful image. The picture says it all. Very well done.
JC

Hello Ena wow amazing bit of info I never knew they went into this state. I have difficulty in getting Kingfisher shots only a few and too far away I must say your knowledge about them is very interesting. The photo itself is also superbly taken. tfs rgds Necip.

  • Great 
  • tuslaw Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 183 W: 7 N: 441] (1412)
  • [2008-02-11 19:28]

Ena,
I did a double-take when I first viewed your photo, what an unusual pose. Very rich and vivid colours, sharp focus and excellent notes. Good job!!
TFS Ron

How interesting and thanks for the info. At first look at the picture, it seems dead! Well explained from your reply.
TFS
Best regards,
Kean

Hi Ena,

nice to see the Kingfisher in this position. Mostly he is too fast to take a picture. The colors are also great! The lightblue looks like little stars...:))
Greetz,
Annieta

  • Great 
  • izler Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1209 W: 78 N: 843] (7096)
  • [2008-02-12 13:08]

selam Ena
really its wonderful capture with its interesting and different pose
composition, point of view, lighting, colours, sharpness, details and note are great
thanks for sharing
regards
izler

Hello Ena,

I never knew about the bird hibernating. Thanks for sharing this notes and picture. I was surprised when I see this in the thumbnail.

Nice capture with excellent sharpness and details.

Regards,
Jusni

  • Great 
  • Hil Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 741 W: 11 N: 1381] (4761)
  • [2008-04-08 11:38]

Hi Ena

What a interesting shot and a amazing pose, it looks so funny just lying on its back, and as its so close you can really get a good look at all its detail and markings which are nice and sharp, lovely colours too.

Hil

Ena

This had to go straight to my favourites just for the sheer madness of it. What a pose, what a subject to capture in this fashion. If I were a bird I would have put a ring on it to be my bride.
Best wishes.

Jai

Very interesting and informative Ena !

I didn't know birds did this (or some birds anyway) mind you it's not every day you get this close to a Kingfisher !

Matt

Hi Ena,
Excellent picture of this beautiful bird and very interesting note
TFS
Mark

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