European Kingfisher - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae in 1758 as Gracula atthis. The binomial name derives from the Latin alcedo, "kingfisher" (from Greek ἀλκυών, halcyon) and Atthis, a beautiful young woman of Lesbos, and favourite of Sappho.

The genus Alcedo comprises a number of small, exclusively fish-eating kingfishers. The Common Kingfisher’s closest relatives in the genus are three similar blue-backed, orange-breasted species, the Blue-eared, Half-collared and Blyth's Kingfishers.