Birdwatching - 3035 🐦

🦉 The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

• Alcedo alcedinis, alcyon, or halcedo, halcedinis (lat.) kingfisher; word "hals" in ancient Greek language meant "sea", along with the word thalassa. According to ancient Greek mythology Alcyone (Alcyone), the daughter of the wind god Eol, was the wife of Keix, who drowned due to the wrath of the gods. Alcyone, out of grief, threw herself into the sea, and also died. The gods had mercy and turned the spouses into kingfishers. Looking for her husband, Alcyone calls all the time “Keix! Keix!" and dives, trying to find him in the sea. Alcyone days - two weeks of calm weather around the day winter solstice. During these days, Eol pacified the winds so that Alcyone, in the form of a kingfisher, could hatch chicks in her nest floating on the waves.
• atthis (ancient Greek mythology) Attis, a divine youth of extraordinary beauty

This is an unusually beautiful and bright bird, as if a tropical bird had accidentally flown into the city. In one old book I even found a mention of this bird, where it was called "Siberian parrot". With its bright turquoise back, rufous belly, bright orange short legs, and dagger-like beak, the kingfisher makes no attempt to be inconspicuous. But it is rare to catch a glimpse of it: it flashes like lightning over the water, leaving only a splash of color.

It is especially interesting to watch him hunt. The kingfisher sits on a branch above the river and looks out for prey. Then - a swift throw into the water, a splash, and here he is already carrying a small silver fish in his beak.