king·fish·er

(kĭng′fĭsh′ər)

Any of various birds of the family Alcedinidae, characteristically having a crested head, a long stout beak, a short tail, and brilliant coloration.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

kingfisher

(ˈkɪŋˌfɪʃə)

(Animals) any coraciiform bird of the family Alcedinidae, esp the Eurasian Alcedo atthis, which has a greenish-blue and orange plumage. Kingfishers have a large head, short tail, and long sharp bill and tend to live near open water and feed on fish

[C15: originally king's fisher]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

king•fish•er

(ˈkɪŋˌfɪʃ ər)

n.

any of various usu. brightly colored birds of the family Alcedinidae, of worldwide distribution, with large heads and robust bills: many dive for fish.

[1400–50]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

kingfisher - nonpasserine large-headed bird with a short tail and long sharp bill; usually crested and bright-colored; feed mostly on fish

coraciiform bird - chiefly short-legged arboreal nonpasserine birds that nest in holes

Alcedinidae, family Alcedinidae - kingfishers

Alcedo atthis, Eurasian kingfisher - small kingfisher with greenish-blue and orange plumage

belted kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon - greyish-blue North American kingfisher with a chestnut band on its chest

Dacelo gigas, kookaburra, laughing jackass - Australian kingfisher having a loud cackling cry

Translations

رَفْرَافٌطائِر الرفْراف

ledňáček

isfugl

Eisvogel

αλκυόνα

martín pescador

kuningaskalastaja

martin-pêcheur

vodomar

bláòyrill, ísfugl, kóngsfiskari

martin pescatore

カワセミ

물총새

alcedo

ijsvogel

isfugl

zimorodek

martim-pescador pica-peixe

зимородок

rybárik

vodomec

vodomarводомар

kungsfiskare

นกกินปลา

yalıçapkınıiskele kuşuyalı çapkını

зимородок

chim bói cá

翠鸟

kingfisher

[ˈkɪŋfɪʃəʳ] N → martín m pescador

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

kingfisher

[ˈkɪŋfɪʃə^r] n → martin-pêcheur m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

kingfisher

n → Eisvogel m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

kingfisher

[ˈkɪŋˌfɪʃəʳ] n → martin m inv pescatore

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

king

(kiŋ) noun

1. a male ruler of a nation, who inherits his position by right of birth. He became king when his father died; King Charles III.

2. the playing-card with the picture of a king. I have two cards – the ten of spades and the king of diamonds.

3. the most important piece in chess.

ˈkingdom noun

1. a state having a king (or queen) as its head. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; He rules over a large kingdom.

2. any of the three great divisions of natural objects. the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms.

ˈkingly adjective

of, relating to, or suitable for a king. kingly robes; a kingly feast.

ˈkingliness noun

ˈkingfisher noun

a type of bird with brilliant blue feathers which feeds on fish.

ˈking-size(d) adjective

of a large size; larger than normal. a king-size(d) bed; king-size cigarettes.

kingfisher

→ رَفْرَافٌ ledňáček isfugl Eisvogel αλκυόνα martín pescador kuningaskalastaja martin-pêcheur vodomar martin pescatore カワセミ 물총새 ijsvogel isfugl zimorodek martim-pescador, pica-peixe зимородок kungsfiskare นกกินปลา yalı çapkını chim bói cá 翠鸟

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Clad in blue silk and bright embroidery At the first call of Spring the fair young bride, On whom as yet Sorrow has laid no scar, Climbs the Kingfisher's Tower.

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"Ay, the old Madman has got the best collection in the house, out and out," said Tom; and then Martin, warming with unaccustomed good cheer and the chance of a convert, launched out into a proposed bird-nesting campaign, betraying all manner of important secrets--a golden-crested wren's nest near Butlin's Mound, a moor-hen who was sitting on nine eggs in a pond down the Barby road, and a kingfisher's nest in a corner of the old canal above Brownsover Mill.

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Clare had given his parents no warning of his visit, and his arrival stirred the atmosphere of the Vicarage as the dive of the kingfisher stirs a quiet pool.

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"When the kingfisher, flying over the sea, is exhausted, his mate places herself beneath him and bears him along upon her stronger wings.

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Now and again a peaty amber colored stream rippled across their way, with ferny over-grown banks, where the blue kingfisher flitted busily from side to side, or the gray and pensive heron, swollen with trout and dignity, stood ankle-deep among the sedges.

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Of diversified habits innumerable instances could be given: I have often watched a tyrant flycatcher (Saurophagus sulphuratus) in South America, hovering over one spot and then proceeding to another, like a kestrel, and at other times standing stationary on the margin of water, and then dashing like a kingfisher at a fish.

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The fields were burnished in sun and wind with the colour of kingfisher and parrot and humming-bird, the hues of a hundred flowering flowers.

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The commonest bird is a kingfisher (Dacelo Iagoensis), which tamely sits on the branches of the castor- oil plant, and thence darts on grasshoppers and lizards.

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All kinds of aquatic birds--pelicans, wild-duck, kingfishers, and the rest--were seen in numerous flocks hovering about the borders of the pools and torrents.

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Some kingfishers were rambling along the water-courses, but they would not let themselves be approached.

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An' kingfishers, an' rabbits comin' down to drink, an', maybe, a deer."

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He chased the unmigratory tropi-ducks from their shrewd-hidden nests, walked circumspectly among the crocodiles hauled out of water for slumber, and crept under the jungle-roof and spied upon the snow-white saucy cockatoos, the fierce ospreys, the heavy-flighted buzzards, the lories and kingfishers, and the absurdly garrulous little pygmy parrots.

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