Riverside royalty

Small but beautiful, it’s not often you get a close-up look at a kingfisher on its perch. You’re more likely to glimpse a metallic flash of those blue-green feathers as it dives into the water after its prey - small fish like minnows and sticklebacks. The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is just one of more than 100 kingfisher species across the world, ranging from the tiny African dwarf kingfisher - weighing in at 9g (less than half an ounce) - to the Australian laughing kookaburra, which tips the scales at nearly 500g (18oz).
© David Pike/Minden Pictures