‘Ter,re,a,mar’ or ‘Alcedo’: Azure kingfisher (Alcedo azurea), 1790s

Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW; Purchased 1887; PXD 226, f. 74

Watercolour

Azure kingfishers are found across northern and eastern Australia including the Kimberley region and east of the Great Dividing Range.

The Azure kingfisher nests in a burrow dug out of a river bank.

Azure kingfishers are usually silent, but have a high thin whistle when flying that sounds like 'pee-ee, pee-ee'.

The Azure kingfisher plunges from overhanging perches into water to catch prey including fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects and other invertebrates, and, sometimes, frogs.

The Azure kingfisher is a small kingfisher with a long slender black bill and a short tail.

The Azure kingfisher has a similar shape to the Little Kingfisher, but is much bigger and is distinguished by its orange underparts and violet sheen.