Alcedo atthis
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Common Kingfisher sighting in Yala National Park on a given day, based on 573 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th most-seen of the 220 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and March–August
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Common Kingfisher in Yala National Park on a given day, against about 50% in February and September–December, 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.
3rd of 59
Of the 59 parks where we can rate Common Kingfisher sightings, Yala National Park ranks 3rd at about 50%. The best odds are in Sundarbans National Park (India, about 70%) and Wilpattu National Park (Sri Lanka, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Alcedinidae
The closest relatives of the Common Kingfisher that you can see in Yala National Park (family Alcedinidae, Kingfishers) are White-throated Kingfisher (about 70%), Pied Kingfisher (about 30%) and Stork-billed Kingfisher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Kingfisher is recorded against all the birds logged in Yala National Park (573 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
