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Alcedo atthis L.
This species has the typical short-tailed, dumpy-bodied large-headed and long-billed kingfisher shape. The adult male of the western European subspecies, A. a. ispida has green-blue upperparts with pale azure-blue back and rump, a rufous patch by the bill base, and a rufous ear-patch. It has a green-blue neck stripe, white neck blaze and throat, rufous underparts, and a black bill with some red at the base. The legs and feet are bright red. It is about 16 cm long with a wingspan of 25 cm, and weighs 34–46 g. The female is identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a black tip. The juvenile is similar to the adult.
It is widely distributed over Europe, Asia, and North Africa, mainly south of 60°N. It is a common breeding species over much of its vast Eurasian range, but in North Africa it is mainly a winter visitor, although it is a scarce breeding resident in coastal Morocco and Tunisia. In temperate regions, this kingfisher inhabits clear, slow-flowing streams and rivers, and lakes with well-vegetated banks. It frequents scrubs and bushes with overhanging branches close to shallow open water in which it hunts. In winter it is more coastal, like the situation on the picture, often feeding in estuaries or harbours and along rocky seashores.
The binomial name derives from the Latin alcedo, "kingfisher" (from Greek ἀλκυών, halcyon) and Atthis, a beautiful young woman of Lesbos, and favourite of Sappho. Not the best photo unfortunately. Never saw it in this forest but just around 10 km south there is an ornithological reserve, so it possibly came from there http://www.istra.hr/en/attractions-and-a...
Spotted on Nov 7, 2011
Submitted on Apr 11, 2013
