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kingfisher

kingfisher

3 5.8
A brightly colored bird with a long beak that dives into water to catch fish
  • noun
  • /ˈkɪŋfɪʃər/
translation icon : martinete
  • The rattling call of a kingfisher came from the pond.
  • kingfisher species
  • Malachite Kingfisher

Examples

  • The wonders of the lake unfolded in the late afternoon sun as the kingfishers were busy fishing nearby.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Colorful kingfishers were also prime photographic targets while they perched and darted into the water repeatedly.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Among them, the Amazon Kingfisher was my real challenge.

    Academic text (2005)
  • I was off to the creek and shot the first kingfisher I met.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Three species of kingfishers sat on the power lines overhead.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Perhaps the carp looking up felt this way as the kingfisher flashed overhead.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Every now and then, a kingfisher pulls something out of the muck, looks askance at it, and eats it anyway.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • And kingfishers swooped and darted about, their shadows racing over the brown trout.

  • Muskrats played in a freshwater pond as a belted kingfisher perched, waiting for a meal to swim by.

    Blog text (26)
  • The wonders of the lake unfolded in the late afternoon sun as the kingfishers were busy fishing nearby.

Synonyms

belted kingfisher
vskingfisher
  • US
1 8.3

A North American bird with blue-grey feathers and a brown band across its chest

is the broader crested water bird described by general bright coloring and fish diet
Eurasian kingfisher
vskingfisher
  • UK
8.1

A small bright bird with blue and orange feathers that lives by rivers in Europe and Asia and eats fish

is the broader crested water bird that fishes near rivers and lakes

Compounds

A North American bird with blue-grey feathers and a brown band across its chest

A small bright bird with blue and orange feathers that lives by rivers in Europe and Asia and eats fish

kingfisher daisy
  • South African
8.4

A South African plant with soft hairy leaves and bright blue daisy-like flowers

How Colorful

macaw
7 4.1
kingfisher
3 5.8
Carduelis carduelis
  • Specialized
9.9
Carduelis flammea
  • Specialized
9.9
sparrow
38 1.0

Surface Forms

kingfisher singular
kingfishers plural

Morphology

kingfisher = king + fisher (semi-transparent) = king + fisher

The components 'king' and 'fisher' are clear, but the compound is a lexicalized name for a specific bird so its full sense (a brightly coloured bird that fishes) is not strictly predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Kingfisher comes from the two words king ('a ruler') and fisher ('someone who catches fish'), so it is like the 'king' of fishers. That's why a kingfisher is a bright, colorful bird often seen diving to catch fish.