The river kingfishers are one of the three families of bird in the kingfisher group. The family is widespread through Africa, through east and south Asia as far as Australia, with one species, the also appearing in Europe and northern Asia. These are brightly plumaged compact birds with short tails, large heads and long bills. They feed on insects or fish, and lay white eggs in a self-excavated burrow. [abstracted from Wikipedia]


Genus Alcedo

Kingfisher, Common Alcedo atthis Found: Euope, Asia, Africa, Australia
Photographed by:  1) Ravi Vaidyanathan  2, 3, 4) Lukasz Lukasik






The tree kingfishers are the most numerous of the three families of birds in the kingfisher group. Tree kingfishers are widespread through Asia and Australasia, but also appear in Africa and the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, utilising a range of habitats from tropical rainforest to open woodlands. The tree kingfishers are short-tailed large-headed compact birds with long pointed bills. Most are monogamous and territorial, nesting in holes in trees or termite nests. Although some tree kingfishers frequent wetlands, none are specialist fish-eaters. Most species dive onto prey from a perch, mainly taking slow moving invertebrates or small vertebrates. [abstracted from Wikipedia]

Genus Halcyon

Kingfisher, White-throated aka White-breasted Kingfisher  Halcyon smyrnensis  Found: Europe, Asia
Photographed by:  1) Lip Kee Yap   2) Dick Daniels - Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo  3) Shiva Shankar