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Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthis, lenght of body: 16,5 cm, weight: 35 g, lenght of beak : 4 cm, lenght of hatching on eggs: 20 days
The flight call of kingfisher is a short sharp whistle, chee, repeated continuously. Its call reminds also sharp whistle or repeatable shrit-it-it.
During building its nest, it's essential for each couple to reserve a suitable and a few hundred long stretch of river. Then they protect it against other kingfishers. In case another kingfisher enters its territory, both males display from perches, and fights for the territory may occur . The fighting birds threaten each other, race, fall down into the water and try to drown one another. The one, that loses its strengths first leaves disputable territory.
Common Kingfisher is quite voracious.
Staying in the nest, 7 developing nestlings devour about 1000 little fish of the most common species. When baby birds start flying for the first time, their weight from 3 g increases up to 30 g. In the seventeenth day of their life the appetite of nestlings riches the top, and so they can eat about 80 fish per day.
Common Kingfisher is under strict species protection.
The main reason of this small bird disappearance is the loss of its natural habitat, water pollution and disturbance made by fishermen and tourists.
