Physical Characteristics
Stocky build, large head, very short tail and long, strong black bill (females have orange base on lower mandible). Upperparts are brilliant azure-blue, underparts intense orange-rufous. Legs short and red.
Alcedo atthis
Although called "kingfisher", this bird has no relation to gull family; it is a perfect miniature fisherman. One of the most vividly coloured birds in Europe, often compared to a living jewel due to its metallic colours.
Stocky build, large head, very short tail and long, strong black bill (females have orange base on lower mandible). Upperparts are brilliant azure-blue, underparts intense orange-rufous. Legs short and red.
Closely tied to watercourses with steep banks and clear water. In the Danube Delta it is a common presence along canals, often perching on branches overhanging the water.
Hunts by plunging vertically into the water after small fish. Solitary and highly territorial. Flight is fast, straight, close to the water surface, often observed as a bright blue streak.
LC. However, sensitive to water pollution and destruction of natural banks; an important bio-indicator for aquatic ecosystem health.