Kingfisher of Europe

The kingfisher of Europe ( Alcedo atthis ) is a Oiseau, species standard of the family of the alcédinidés (or Alcedinidae ). The kingfisher is a good natural indicator of the quality of an aquatic environment.

Characteristics

Its main features are:

one delivered brilliant and very coloured (blue on the top, russet-red and white in lower part),
a long and fine nozzle,
a short and squat body,
an approximate size of 16 cm.

Food and technique of fishing

It is a bird which nourishes small Poisson S and small aquatic animals, this is why it lives near the stretches of water, where it can be nourished in abundance. That makes a bird of it, that the fishermen regard as “vermin”, owing to the fact that it nourishes Alevin S.

Its prey located, generally since a perch, it plunges while violently striking water surface and the trap, then swallows its prey, head the first, in the direction of the scales. If it is not in the good sense, it launches it in the air and catches up with it with agility in the direction which it likes. Following the example raptors which ingurgitent their prey of only one blow, it ejects thereafter a Pelote of rejection consisted of the edges of last digested fish. The rejection by the mouth of this ball is preceded by what resembles yawns. When the fish is intended to be delivered to the youthful ones, the kingfisher turns over it to present it ahead head. The adult returns then in the corridor of his niche and serves that of small which awaits its turn in a movement of " noria" controlled well at the bottom of the cavity. In period of nourrissage, an adult can capture up to 70 or 80 fish in the course of the day, which implies a permanent activity.

The bird, very long-lived, traverses a circuit on its territory while being posed on perches which he knows, laid out well to watch for its preys. If its position is rather high, it plunges out of arrow directly, and arises also quickly from water thanks to the push of Archimedes resulting from the air imprisoned under its plumage. If it starts from a support too close to surface, it must be initially ejected upwards before being turned over to plunge. But it can also make long sequences of hovering before plunging. When its attempt is rewarded, it is posed and undertakes to strike its prey by beating it on its branch by movements of head alternated, before swallowing it, when it will not carry it to his partner (male in bridal period) or to her youthful.

Habitat and distribution

Its habitat is located on the escarpées and movable slopes in which it can easily dig its burrow. He appreciates also the sedimentary cliffs limestones or, which are heated easily with the sun, and the accesses of stretch of water in which he will be able to plunge to catch his food.

It remains in its territory of predilection as long as water is not taken by the ices, because this bird fears the too hard winters, and in this case, it migrates towards more moderate areas.

Its surface of distribution is mainly the Europe (where it is the principal species of Martin-pêcheur), with extensions in Asia and Africa.

List subspecies

Alcedo atthis atthis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Alcedo atthis bengalensis Gmelin, 1788
Alcedo atthis floresiana Sharpe, 1892
Alcedo atthis hispidoides Lesson, 1837
Alcedo atthis ispida Linnaeus, 1758
Alcedo atthis salomonensis Rothschild & Hartert, 1905
Alcedo atthis taprobana O. Kleinschmidt, 1894

Gallery

Random links: