kingfisher

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

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

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Any bird of the extensive family Alcedinidæ. Kingfishers form a natural family of picarian birds, with fissirostral bill and syndactyl feet, and are remarkable for their number and variety as well as for the brilliancy of their plumage. They nest in holes, and lay white eggs. Their characteristic habit is to sit motionless on the watch for their prey, dart after it, and return to their perch. There are about 125 species and 20 genera, found in most parts of the world, but very unevenly distributed. Thus, there are only 2 species peculiar to northern parts of the old world, only 2 species in North America, and only one genus in all America. The Ethiopian region and the Indian region are about equally rich; the Australian (in a broad sense) is the richest, alone possessing half the genera and half the species. The common kingfisher of Europe, Alcedo ispida, a small bird of brilliant colors, is supposed to be the halcyon of classic writers. The pied kingfisher, Ceryle rudis, also inhabits Europe as well as other countries. The common American kingfisher, C. alcyon, is 12½ inches long, 22 in extent of wings, dull-blue above, white below, with a bluish belt on the breast and in the female a chestnut bar behind this; the wing-and tail-feathers are black, spotted and barred with white; the head is crested. This bird is known as the belted kingfisher. (See cut under Ceryle.) A small, glossy green-and-white species, which reaches the Mexican border of the United States, is C. cabanisi. The giant kingfisher or laughing-jackass of Australia is Dacelo gigas. See cut under Dacelo.
2. n. Erroneously—2. The water-ouzel, Cinclus aquaticus, popularly imagined to be the female of the kingfisher Alcedo ispida. [Local, (Scotland and Ireland.]
3. n. The tern or sea-swallow. Also king's-fisher.

Wiktionary

1. n. Any of various birds of the suborder Alcedines, having a large head, short tail and brilliant colouration; they feed mostly on fish.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of birds constituting the family Alcedinidæ. Most of them feed upon fishes which they capture by diving and seizing them with the beak; others feed only upon reptiles, insects, etc. About one hundred and fifty species are known. They are found in nearly all parts of the world, but are particularly abundant in the East Indies.

WordNet 3.0

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