Water kingfisher

Water kingfishers are fish-catching kingfishers in the subfamily Cerylinae, including pied, giant, and ringed kingfishers.

Connect

Kingfisher: A bird in the family Alcedinidae, typically with a large head, long bill, and fish-catching habits. Water kingfishers are one group within the broader kingfisher family.
Pied kingfisher: A black-and-white African and Asian kingfisher known for hovering before diving for fish. It is a distinctive Cerylinae species that hunts in open water.
Kingfisher fishing: The hunting behavior in which kingfishers watch for aquatic prey and seize it with a rapid bill strike. It is the defining feeding strategy of water kingfishers.
Alcedo: A genus of small, often brightly colored kingfishers in the subfamily Alcedininae. Its members are fish-catching kingfishers outside Cerylinae.
Cerylinae: A subfamily of kingfishers that includes pied, giant, and ringed kingfishers. This is the taxonomic group meant by water kingfishers.
Giant kingfisher: The largest African kingfisher, with a dark crest and a white-spotted body. It represents the large-bodied African members of the group.
Hovering: Remaining nearly stationary in the air by generating lift with rapid wingbeats. Pied kingfishers use hovering to inspect water before diving.
Halcyon: A genus of tree kingfishers that includes species with varied terrestrial and aquatic diets. It contrasts with the more consistently fish-oriented water kingfishers.
Alcedinidae: The bird family commonly known as kingfishers, distributed across much of the world. Cerylinae is classified within this family.
Ringed kingfisher: A large American kingfisher with a conspicuous reddish breast and blue-gray upperparts. It is a prominent New World member of Cerylinae.