Alcedo atthis
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.
This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.
The common kingfisher was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae in 1758 as Gracula atthis. The modern binomial name derives from the Latin alcedo, 'kingfisher' (from Greek ἀλκυών, halcyon), and Atthis, a beautiful young woman of Lesbos, and favourite of Sappho.
The genus Alcedo comprises seven small kingfishers that all eat fish as part of their diet. The common kingfisher's closest relative is the cerulean kingfisher that has white underparts and is found in parts of Indonesia. Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aquarium du palais de la Porte Dorée | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Oasi Naturalistica di Sant'Alessio | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 5 | Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 6 | AQUA Akvarium & Dyrepark | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 7 | BestZoo | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 8 | Aquamarine Inawashiro Kingfishers Aquarium | 🇯🇵 Japan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Kingfisher sighting in Phnom Penh on a given day, based on 192 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 53rd most-seen of the 154 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Kingfisher in Phnom Penh on a given day, against under 5% in April to August, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Kingfisher sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
109th of 179
Of the 179 cities where we can rate Common Kingfisher sightings, Phnom Penh ranks 109th at about 10%. The best odds are in Savar (Bangladesh, about 50%), Srinagar (India, about 40%) and Antalya (Turkey, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Kingfisher is recorded against all the birds logged in Phnom Penh (192 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
