Identification: Their brilliant blue upperparts, deep red underparts, white face patches and unique shape make Kingfishers impossible to misidentify.

Habitat: Breeds along rivers, streams and lakes. Winters along lakes, rivers and estuaries; occasionally on rocky shores.

Distribution: A fairly widespread but localised resident throughout most of England and Wales, although scarce in Scotland. Usually found in freshwater areas, although some move to the coast in winter, when food is more scarce.

Widespread in most of Europe, generally easier to see at reedbeds and marshes than along rivers. Trips by punt through the Danube Delta (Romania) or the Sultan Marshes (Turkey) guarantee lots of views and they are also easy to see around the seashores of Crete.

Population:  Perhaps as much as a third of the World population lives in Europe with 47-67,000 breeding pairs. Estimates from many countries vary widely.