Kingfisher

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Sacred Kingfisher

Kingfishers are a group of brightly colored birds that belong to the family Alcedinidae and the order Coraciiformes. They are found in many parts of the world, especially in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but some species also occur in Europe. Kingfishers have large heads, long, sharp bills, short legs, and stubby tails. They feed mainly on fish, which they catch by diving from a perch, but some species also eat insects and other small animals. Kingfishers nest in cavities, often tunnels dug into riverbanks or termite nests. There are 116 species of kingfishers, divided into three subfamilies: the river kingfishers (Alcedininae), the tree kingfishers (Halcyoninae), and the water kingfishers (Cerylinae). The most widespread and familiar species is the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), which has blue and orange plumage and is found across Eurasia and North Africa.