Common Kingfisher

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Alcedo atthis

Scarce residents with 5,000 breeding pairs in the UK along slow flowing streams and rivers, plus few 100s in Ireland.

Adult Males have 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.

Females are identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a black tip.

Juveniles are similar to the adults, but with duller and greener upperparts and paler underparts.

Its bill is black, and the legs are also initially black.

The flight call is a short, sharp whistle chee repeated two or three times.