kingfisher

[ king-fish-er ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of numerous fish- or insect-eating birds of the family Alcedinidae that have a large head and a long, stout bill and are usually crested and brilliantly colored.

kingfisher

/ ˈkɪŋˌfɪʃə /

any coraciiform bird of the family Alcedinidae, esp the Eurasian Alcedo atthis, which has a greenish-blue and orange plumage. Kingfishers have a large head, short tail, and long sharp bill and tend to live near open water and feed on fish

1400–50; king + fisher; replacing king's fisher, late Middle English kinges fisher

C15: originally king's fisher

For The Kingfisher River Bank, Potter killed a whole family of kingfishers (and seized seven of their eggs).

As well as about the Vale ponds, the Kingfisher breeds in holes in the rocks all round the Island.

As I was stooping down, hidden by a rock, I saw a kingfisher slowly floating toward the beach.

Though their plumage is prettily varied, still it falls far short of the brilliancy displayed by the English kingfisher.

February marks the beginning of the nesting season of the handsome pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis).

The nest of the pied kingfisher is a circular tunnel or burrow, more than a yard in length, excavated in a river bank.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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