kingfisher

American  

[king-fish-er] / ˈkɪŋˌfɪʃ ər /

noun

• kingfishers
  plural

1. 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 British  

/ ˈkɪŋˌfɪʃə /

noun

1. 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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• kingfishers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kingfisher

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

Explanation

A kingfisher is a colorful bird that catches fish by diving dramatically into the water. The Australian kookaburra is the largest species of kingfisher. Among about 90 different kingfisher species, most have brilliant blue feathers and a very long, pointed bill. These bright birds are mainly found in tropical climates near rivers and other bodies of water, making fish and crustaceans the major part of their diet. Etymologists know the bird's original name was king's fisher (with the fisher part being self-explanatory), but the rest of the word's history is unknown.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kingfisher kingfishers

The streamlined beak of the kingfisher, which enters the water almost without a splash, became the model for the nose of Japan’s bullet train.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

"Now, we know which of the underlying genes are shifting that help create the differences that we see across the kingfisher family," says Eliason.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2023

The kingfisher abounds in Egyptian art; on the wall of the Green Room it appears amid the stems and umbels of a dense papyrus thicket at the moment it takes its helldive.

From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2023

A lot of footage was captured over nine months, but he said one of the biggest challenges was filming the kingfisher sequence, which "took me three years to get enough good footage".

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2022

Then he gave me the sack of gunpowder that he had acquired in exchange for the kingfisher feathers and walked into the spicers’ district with his arms joyously spread.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

The site has also attracted blue herons, kingfishers, otters, deer, bears, California condors and a resident herd of elk notorious for tearing up new seedlings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The Environment Agency and Natural England said their monitoring shows the river's condition is improving, with trout, bullhead and minnows present, alongside kingfishers and sand martins.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

Other birds in the area include pygmy owls, belted kingfishers and wild turkey.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2025

"It was fantastic to see a pair of kingfishers already digging from the beginning of February," he said.

From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2024

I told him about the river where I had washed the clothes among the kingfishers and the dragonflies, and the calls of the doves and the wind rustling through the leaves of the peepul trees.

From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan