The Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

Despite its bright plumage, Kingfishers can be surprisingly hard to see when perched by riverbanks.

Although tied to watercourses in the UK, in the Algarve, Portugal they are also commonly found well away from water in open woodland and agricultural land.

There are just under 5,000 pairs in the UK.

Their average lifespan is just 2 years.

Their main prey is principally freshwater fish for which they plunge after. They also take aquatic insects, marine fish and more rarely, crustaceans, molluscs, terrestrial insects and amphibians. In the Algarve they also feast on small reptiles and large insects.

A brood of Kingfishers can demand up to 100 small fish a day from their parents.