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DictionarykingfisherFish-catching bird
noun

kingfisher

KING-fish-ur/ˈkɪŋfɪʃər/

A small, often brightly colored bird that catches fish.

The kingfisher perches above the water with a small fish in its bill.

A recognizable kingfisher perched on a bare branch above a small patch of water, holding a freshly caught small fish crosswise in its long bill.
Etymology
kingOld Englishking, ruler
+fisherOld Englishfisherman; kingfisher

The name originally meant “king’s fisher”: the fisher element fits the bird’s fish-catching behavior and already named this bird in Old English. Why it was associated with a king is obscure.

In context

BBC Studios2:04
As the beak goes further in, the waves travel further out and are picked up by the sensitive hairs on the fishes body. Now, the kingfisher's success depends on how quickly the fish reacts.
Pied Kingfisher Catching Fish in Split Second | BBC Studios

More examples

  • The kingfisher watches the water from a low branch.
  • We spot two kingfishers beside the pond.
  • The kingfisher's blue feathers flash in the sunlight.

Forms

kingfisher · kingfishers