Kingfisher
Alcedo atthis
- Size
- About 16cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Slow rivers, canals and lakes with clear water and overhanging branches
A flash of electric blue and orange, hardly bigger than a sparrow, with a beak like a dagger.
The kingfisher that follows you
This page is a river. Move your pointer across the water and your animal will swim, wade, hover or dance after you. Choose a different animal at the bottom, and tap the notes to open them.
Macclesfield right now checking the sky…
Try another sky
01 · ColourA blue flash
Most people only ever see a streak of bright blue flying low and fast over the water.
02 · FishingThe dive
It watches from a branch, then dives in head first and comes up with a small fish in its beak.
03 · NestA tunnel in the bank
Kingfishers dig a nest tunnel up to a metre long into a steep riverbank.
04 · BeakBoy or girl?
The male's beak is all black. The female's has an orange-red lower half, as if she is wearing lipstick.
05 · FoodHead first
It beats the fish against a branch, then swallows it head first so the fins and scales lie flat.
06 · WinterHard winters
A long freeze is dangerous for kingfishers, because they cannot fish through ice.
Meet them all
Who's who on the river
Otter
Lutra lutra
- Size
- About 1.2m long, including the tail
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Clean rivers, lakes and coasts
A sleek brown swimmer with a broad head, a pale throat and a long, thick tail.
Brown trout
Salmo trutta
- Size
- Usually 20 to 40cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Clean, cool rivers, streams and lakes
A golden-brown fish covered in black and red spots, holding its place against the current.
Grey heron
Ardea cinerea
- Size
- About 95cm tall
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes and estuaries
A tall, grey, long-legged bird that stands perfectly still at the water's edge, waiting.
Green drake mayfly
Ephemera danica
- Size
- Body about 2cm, plus long tails
- Look for it
- May to June
- Where
- Clean rivers and streams, dancing over the water in late spring
A delicate insect with upright, see-through wings and three long tail filaments.
Water vole
Arvicola amphibius
- Size
- Body about 18cm long
- Look for it
- March to October
- Where
- Grassy banks of slow rivers, ditches, canals and ponds
A chubby, chestnut-brown vole with a blunt nose, small furry ears and a furry tail.
Through the year
When to look for them
The green months are when you're most likely to see each one in Britain. The animal following you is shown in red.
Kingfisher
Otter
Brown trout
Grey heron
Mayflies
Water vole
Watching the water
Six tips for river watching
Stand on a bridge
A bridge lets you look straight down into the water. On a bright day you can often see fish holding in the current.
Listen first
A sharp, high whistle means a kingfisher is coming. A loud plop from the bank may be a water vole.
Look for signs
Footprints in mud, droppings on rocks and nibbled plants by the water all tell you who lives there.
Go early
Otters and herons are most active at dawn and dusk, when the bank is quiet.
Keep back from the edge
Riverbanks can be steep, slippery and undercut. Stay back from the edge, and go with a grown-up.
Keep it clean
Take litter home, and never pour anything down an outside drain. Many of them run straight into the river.
Photo gallery
Real photos of the animals on this page. Tap one to see it bigger.
Kingfisher
Otter
Brown trout
Grey heron
Green drake mayfly
Water vole
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons and are used under free licences. Open a photo to see who took it.
Now go and sit by a river
Find a bridge or a quiet bit of bank, keep still and watch the water for ten minutes. Early morning is best.
Back to the top