Common kingfisher / Eisvogel (Alcedo atthis)

Wikipedia eBird Vogelwarte BirdLife ZH ornitho.ch bird-song.ch Xeno-Canto BirdID NABU

Eisvogel beim Pfaeffikersee Ein paar sind im Herbst und Winter am Meteorwasserkanal nahe Schellenberger Textil zu sehen. 2020-11-17 10.57.56 Pfäffikersee
Classification: Genus Alcedo; Family Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
This is a favorite bird in Switzerland. On the one hand it's colorful and very active when seen in its hunting grounds at a waterway; on the other hand, it's seldom seen. Contrast the 400-500 breeding pairs with 400,000-550,000 of the everpresent great tits.
An apprentice for the nature center on Lake Pfaeffikon told us a bit about the kingfishers that hunt on a waterway that feeds into the lake. She said they spend the breeding season elsewhere in sandy areas and return to the lake in fall. I've read elsewhere that they watch for fish from convenient waterside branches. A classic motif for a picture is a branch sticking out of the water, and one photographer said he has actually placed a branch there, knowing the kingfisher would not be able to resist.
Etymology: Nabu: Ob der Name des Eisvogels (Alcedo atthis) tatsächlich mit Eis zu tun hat oder das eisblaue Rückengefieder Pate stand, ist strittig. Manche Deutungen leiten den Namen vom althochdeutschen „eisan“ für „schillern“ oder „glänzen“ ab. Der „Schillervogel“ wäre eine gute Beschreibung für das flirrende Farbenspiel, das der Eisvogel im Sitzen und erst recht im Flug bietet. Wieder andere Autoren interpretieren den „Eisvogel“ als „Eisenvogel“ und vermuten einen Bezug auf das stahlblaue Rücken- oder das rostfarbene Bauchgefieder des Eisvogels. [Link]
Seasonal Behavior: Status (in CH): regelmässiger, spärlicher Brutvogel, Durchzügler und Wintergast. [Link]
Calls: Wikipedia says 'The common kingfisher has no song. The flight call is a short, sharp whistle chee repeated two or three times. Anxious birds emit a harsh, shrit-it-it and nestlings call for food with a churring noise.' The NABU app only has calls, which seems to confirm this. Therefore I'm classifying all recordings as calls, even though some say Song at Xeno-Canto. [Link]
Most heard is the thin and penetrating contact call: A short "tzee", or disyllabic "tzee-tzu", with a ringing metallic quality. In excitement it is often alternated with ringing trills "tzeerrrrrrrrrr". [Link]
Physical details: length=16-17 cm, wingspan=24-26 cm, weight=34-46 g
Habitats: Wetland

Call: Common kingfisher call from Xeno-Canto, similar to one from NABU app. Fairly high pitched single chirps or occasional high-low pairs.
Call from Xeno-Canto

Call from Xeno-Canto Source: XENOCANTO XC511677 Common kingfisher call similar to one from NABU app.mp3 (call)


Call attributes: Call melody: one note, slow, Frequency: 5-7 KHz,
First documented observation : 2020-10-08 in Fehraltorf.

Media


Wikipedia Common kingfisher. Source: WIKIPEDIA Wikipedia Common kingfisher.jpg

Der Eisvogel ahnt dass ich ihn fotografieren will - er mag keine Paparazzi. 2021-10-24 13.25.22 Neeracherried

Eisvogel / kingfisher Source: XENOCANTO XC544658-eisvo0655.mp3 (song)

Additional Images


Eisvogel mit Fang. 2022-06-25 11.30.16 La Sauge

Eisvogel mit Fang. 2022-06-25 11.30.14 La Sauge

Eisvogel im Flug. 2022-06-25 11.23.52 La Sauge

Fischneid - es darf nicht nur ein Eisvogel einen haben. 2022-06-25 11.23.22 La Sauge

Die tollen Blaufarben vom Eisvogel. 2022-06-25 11.23.02 La Sauge

Additional Audio


Source: BirdNet 20210822_124621 birdnet 1961 - Common Kingfisher doubtful in the mountains, I thought great tits plus possibly a woodpecker - Common Kingfisher - Ennenda.mp3 2021-08-22 12.46.21 (song?)

Source: BirdNet 20201012_143544 birdnet 990 haldenholz - Common kingfisher - Fehraltorf.mp3 2020-10-12 14.35.44 Fehraltorf (song?)

Source: BirdNet 20201008_155838 birdnet 983 says almost certain but this is in woods - Common kingfisher - Fehraltorf.mp3 2020-10-08 15.58.38 Fehraltorf (song?)