Kingfisher
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Kingfisher
Bird
A brilliant blue-and-orange bird that dives for small fish.
💡 Fun Facts
- A bird with a streamlined, bullet-shaped body that lets it dive into the water without making a splash to catch small fish.
Name Story
Alcedo atthis
means “the halcyon — the king of fishers”
What does its name mean?
- Alcedo — kingfisher (the Latin form of the Greek 'halcyon')Latin, from Greek (halkyōn)
- atthis — Atthis, a young woman admired by the poet SapphoGreek
- kingfisher — the king of fishersEnglish
An old Greek myth tells of Alcyone, who was turned into a kingfisher, and of the calm "halcyon days" the gods granted while she nested on the sea — which is where our phrase for happy, peaceful times comes from. The English name simply crowns it the "king of fishers" for its dazzling dives.