Summary

Kingfishers—all the birds in the family Alcedinidae—are the focus of this episode. There are many species of these charismatic birds living across the world.

Learn about their key features, global distribution, evolution, feeding, and more.

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Links of Interest

• Slow-motion video of diving kingfisher 1
• Video of Pied Kingfisher hunting
• How a kingfisher helped reshape Japan's bullet train

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Research Citations

• A phylogeny of kingfishers reveals an Indomalayan origin and elevated rates of diversification on oceanic island (Andersen et al. 2017. Journal of Biogeography)
• A Laurasian origin for a pantropical bird radiation is supported by genomic and fossil data (McCullough et al. 2019. Proceedings of Royal Society B)
• 3D printed kingfisher bill study (Howe. Bangor University)
• Commensal association of the common kingfisher with foraging Eurasian otters (Mougeot and Rodriguez Ramiro. 2019. Ethology)
• Micronesian Kingfisher nests in termitaria (Kesler and Haig. 2004. International Journal of Avian Science)

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Photos of some birds mentioned

Attributions

• Belted Kingfisher sounds (Xeno Canto recording XC132873)
• Common Kingfisher sounds (Xeno Canto recording XC511674)
• Green-backed Kingfisher sounds (Xeno Canto recording XC415160)
• Laughing Kookaburra sounds(Xeno Canto recording XC528786)

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