The Common Kingfisher or European Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis Linnaeus, 1758) is a coraciform bird in the Family Alcedinids. It is also called alcione and is the most common species in the family, as well as the only one present in Europe.

The kingfisher prefers to elect rivers and streams at home in a slow course, but he also adapts very well to live on the shores of lakes, mangroves, reedbeds, estuaries, coves and even marinas (frequented especially in winter, when the waterways where this animal usually lives can depopulate or even freeze), marshes and reservoirs.

The kingfisher is a small bird, between 17 and 25 cm long, with a wingspan that reaches 26 cm and a weight of 26 to 46 g.

The coloration of plumage is similar in both sexes, with the male expected to have a more charged belly color; in the male, moreover, the beak is completely black, while in the female the jaw is brown in color, except for the tip that is black. In young, plumage is more tending to greenish, and both the dorsal and ventral part have less bright coloration than adults.

It is a very quiet, but not silent bird: the kingfisher can emit a short, sharp whistle in flight (often repeated two or three times), as well as or nervous specimens can make croaking sounds.