European Birds Can be showier than a Murmuration of Starlings

Perhaps we should blame the poets for European birds’ unfair reputation for being drab and nondescript. After all, Edgar Allen Poe chose the monochromatic Raven to quote, and Percy Shelley wrote ‘To a Skylark’, a “little brown job” if there ever was one.

Maybe these men never got out of the sooty city with a pair of binoculars, because their melancholy might have been lifted by considering a Western Capercaillie, peering at an Atlantic Puffin, or getting off their foggy islands altogether to glimpse a turquoise flash of European Roller, or the rainbow buzz of a European Bee-eater. Many European birds have both character and flash!

Atlantic Puffin by Charles Sharp via Wikimedia Commons

We asked our guides to share with us European birds that guests always love to see there, featuring upcoming tours where you may cross the pond for your own look!

One bird that made all of the lists is the uncommonly beautiful Common Kingfisher, which, true to its name, can be found on all of Naturalist Journeys’ European birding and nature tours. There are 114 species of kingfisher on the planet, and the single kingfishers in European birds column is truly a dazzler!

A Common Kingfisher is among the European birds that Naturalist Journeys' birding and nature tours may see while birding in Europe
A Common Kingfisher with a bite in Italy’s Po River. Photo Credit: Luca Casale via Creative Commons

Another special, water-loving bird widespread on our European birding and nature tours is the Eurasian Spoonbill.

The Eurasian Spoonbillis among the European birds that Naturalist Journeys' birding and nature tours may see while birding in Europe
Eurasian Spoonbill is a guest-favorite feature of many of our European tours. Photo Credit: René Pop

Guide: Gerard Gorman; Tour: Lesvos, Greece: Migration April 22 – 29, 2023

This unpack-once jewel of a tour on the Greek island of Lesvos is one of five guided by one of the most highly regarded birding guides in all of Europe, Gerard Gorman, the author of two birding guides to Europe and seven books about woodpeckers, his personal passion! Our most recent Lesvos, Greece guests added handsome Middle-spotted Woodpecker two times to their species list, along with show-stopping European Bee-Eaters, gregarious birds recorded every day of the tour.

  • European Bee Eaters
  • Middle-spotted Woodpecker  is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Woodchat Shrikes  is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Collared Pratincole  is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Little Owl  is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe

Other guest favorite birds of this tour included Collared Pratincole, Woodchat Shrike and Little Owl. (Little Owl is believed to be the source of the disinformation that owls are highly intelligent, as Athena, Greek Goddess of Wisdom, often carried one on her shoulder.)

Guide: Carlos Sanchez; Tour: Spain Birding and Nature, April 24 – May 7, 2023

Spain is strategically situated on one of Europe’s two principal flyways, and this spring migration tour gives great looks at many of the continent’s birds, including Spanish residents, migratory birds that breed in Spain and even northern European species that wintered in Africa and are headed home to pair up and nest.

Asked to share a few guest favorites, Carlos kindly gave us examples from the various legs of the tour:

“European Roller and Great Bustard are always favorites in the steppes (Caceres).”

  • Great Bustard is among the wonderful European birds that birders seek out on birding trips to Europe
  • The European Roller is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe

“Eurasian Hoopoe and Eurasian Golden Oriole are also always big hits with groups, and they are fortunately quite widespread across our route.”

  • Eurasian Hoopoe is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Eurasian Golden Oriole is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe

“Other guest favorites include Egyptian Vulture and Spanish (Imperial) Eagle at Monfrague, Iberian Magpie in the dehesas. 
White-throated Dipper on clear streams in the Gredos.”

  • Egyptian Vulture is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Iberian Magpie is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Imperial Eagle is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • White-throated Dipper is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe

Guide: Chris Harbard; Tour: Ireland & Scotland Discovery May 17 – June 2, 2023

This fantastic cruise around the coastline and islands of Ireland and Scotland visits the very best of the British Isles with opportunities to see internationally important seabird colonies, and a wide range of other British and Irish birds as well as other wonderful wildlife. Seabirds don’t tend to be especially colorful, with the exception of Atlantic Puffin, which we hope to see in large numbers. Many are quite striking though, including Northern Gannet, Common Murre and Red-Billed Chough.

  • Atlantic Puffin is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Northern Gannet is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Red-billed Chough is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Northern Gannet is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe

Your guide for this tour, Chris Harbard, is a well-known British ornithologist who spent 24 years working with the world’s largest bird conservation organization, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Guide: Dave Mehlman; Tour: Iceland Birding and Nature June 13 – 27, 2023

No bird, however striking, will be able to compete with the gorgeous landscape of Iceland, including geysers, grand waterfalls, wildflowers, glaciers, mountains and seacoasts. Bird counts aren’t high here, but there are some great ones, including Atlantic Puffin, Red-throated Loon, Rock Ptarmigan, Eurasian Golden Plover and Red-Necked Phalarope.

  • Red-throated Loon is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Rock Ptarmigan is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • European Golden Plover is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Red-necked Phalarope s one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • White Wagtail is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Atlantic Puffin is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe

Guide: Gerard Gorman; Tour: Finland – Norway: Birding & Nature June 13 – 15, 2023

Finland and Norway and the next listed tour, share some of the same remarkable birds that migrate along the East Atlantic Flyway. Here are some that will be in both places mid-June, and below find a gallery of those particular to our Austria-Hungary tour. Our guests were delighted with our inaugural tour to Finland-Norway last year, and these birds were among their favorites to land on the species list. The Ruff is only seen on our Finland-Norway tour. The Capercaillie is also seen on our Scottish Highlands and Islands tours, next departure June 9– 21 (and yes, that Scottish Highlands tour features Atlantic Puffin. Who doesn’t love a puffin?)

  • Great Crested Grebe ne of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Bluethroat is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Ruff is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Capercaillie  is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe

Guide: Gerard Gorman; Tour: Austria–Hungary: Birds, Nature and Culture in the Heart of Europe June 19 – 30, 2023

Our route here takes us from Vienna to Budapest, visiting the many different and wonderful birding habitats in between, and accordingly there is a significant amount of culture on this tour. We also highlight the region’s other wildlife, plants, interesting heritage livestock breeds, and fine historic architecture. We enjoy local foods and even visit an old winery in Hungary! Many of the iconic European species can be seen on this tour. These three guest favorites are only seen on this tour: Red-crested Pochard, Common Cuckoo, and Red-footed Falcon.

  • Red-Footed Falcon
  • Skylark is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe

Guide: Gerard Gorman; Tour: Romania & Bulgaria: Black Sea Coast Migration Sept. 15 – 24, 2023

This wonderful fall migration tour offers chances to see many of the Eastern European species already mentioned, along with these client favorites that may also be seen on our Austria-Hungary tour: Hawfinch, Black Woodpecker, White-tailed Eagle, Northern Lapwing.

  • Hawfinch is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Black Woodpecker is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Northern Lapwing is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • White-tailed Eagle is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Common Cuckoo is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe

Guide: Gerard Gorman; Tour: Portugal: Fabulous Birding and Culture Oct. 8 – 19, 2023

Like Spain, Portugal is situated on the East Atlantic flyway, the bird superhighway connecting Scandanavia and West Africa. Many of the birds already mentioned may be seen on this fabulous tour. Dapper Red-legged Partridge and endemic Sardinian Warbler are two of many great reasons to sign onto this culturally rich tour.

  • Sardinian Warbler is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe
  • Red-legged Partridge is one of the most common European birds seen by birders on Naturalist Journeys' guided nature tours in Europe

Charismatic Kingfishers are Beloved BirdS – Just ask a Kookaburra!

Kingfishers are among the most charismatic and distinctive of all the bird families, with large heads and long pointed bills that contrast with their shortish legs and stubby tails. Even beginning US birders can confidently identify the brush-crested red-white-and-blue Belted Kingfisher, whose in-flight, rattling, streamside call is as unmistakable as it is thrilling.

  • The Belted Kingfisher is the kingfisher known to most Americans
  • Green Kingfisher is at the top of its range in Texas and Arizona.
  • kingfishers like this Ringed Kingfisher found on our Texas and Arizona tours are amazing

Belted Kingfisher is widespread in North America and may be seen on most of our Mainland US and Alaska tours. Our Southeast Arizona and Texas tours may see two more species, at the top of their North American ranges: Ringed Kingfisher and Green Kingfisher, who, like the Belted Kingfisher, perch and hunt along streams and rivers for their namesake lunch.

Like many kingfisher species, Green Kingfisher digs long tunnel burrows into stream banks, often rising in height before dropping down to their nests. Tunnel kingfisher nests often become quite befouled, perhaps because taking out the refuse would be such a long trip!

US birders traveling abroad are sometimes surprised to learn there are kingfishers who don’t eat fish at all! There are 114 species of kingfishers, and while they have similar forms, they are diverse and widespread.

Rufous-bellied Kookaburra is a Tree Kingfisher. Photo Credit: Greg Miles via Creative Commons
Rufous-bellied Kookaburra is a Tree Kingfisher. Photo Credit: Greg Miles via Creative Commons.

Tree Kingfishers, sometimes called Wood Kingfishers, live in drier forests where insects and other small prey make up much of their diet. Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea’s charismatic kookaburras are examples of tree kingfishers, which predominate in Asia. The kookaburras are the largest of the kingfishers, ranging from 11 to 17 inches in length.

Our New Zealand guests often see Sacred Kingfisher, which mostly eats invertebrates, crustaceans, and the occasional lizard throughout its wide range in Australasia. Sacred Kingfisher is also seen by our Papua New Guinea guests, but it has a LOT of kingfisher company there. It was just one of eleven kingfishers our guests saw on their last tour there:

Azure, Brown-headed Paradise, Buff-breasted Paradise, Common Paradise, Hook-billed, Little Paradise, Sacred, Shovel-billed and Variable Dwarf Kingfishers, along with Blue-winged and Rufous-winged Kookaburra. You’ll notice some of these have longer tails, more beneficial rudders in the air than they would be in the water.

Kingfishers of Papua New Guinea

  • Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher
  • Spangled Kookaburra by Doug Janson via Creative Commons
  • Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher by Marksharper1 via Creative Commons
  • Common Paradise Kingfisher by Francesco Veroni via Creative Commons
  • Hook-billed Kingfisher by Francesco Veroni via Creative Commons
  • Blue-winged Kookaburra by Greg Schechter via Creative Commons

Spangled Kookaburra is another species we may see on our Aug. 2 – 15, 2023 birding and nature tour to Papua New Guinea. That trip deserves its ‘Bucket List Birding’ title not just for its impressive suite of kingfishers, but for all the opportunity to see showy bird of paradise and bowerbirds, whose dramatic mating displays are a staple of David Attenborough-esque documentaries about bird behavior.

As one of its national symbols, the kookaburra is most commonly identified with Australia. Guests on our Queensland’s Wet Tropics birding and nature tour Aug. 13 – 22, 2023 there may see Laughing Kookaburra, whose eponymous call is a staple of soundtracks to movies set ‘Down Under’.

Laughing Kookaburra is a national symbol of Australia. Calistemon, via Creative Commons
Laughing Kookaburra looks amused. Photo Credit: Calistemon via Creative Commons

We may also see Blue-winged Kookaburra, which live in groups of up to a dozen individuals in open savannah and tea-tree swamps. Blue-winged Kookaburra is a “cooperative breeder,” meaning a nesting pair may get some help from other birds in its group with feeding and rearing young.

Kingfishers are Colorful Characters

Bright colors and striking patterns are hallmarks of kingfishers, exemplified by uncommonly beautiful Common Kingfisher, widespread in Eurasia and North Africa.

Common Kinfishers can be seen on many of Naturalist Journeys' European tours.
Common Kingfishers can be see on many of our European tours. Photo Credit: Tom Dove

This is always a WOW bird in the binoculars for our guests in Spain, one of whom described it as “an iridescent blue jewel.” Our next Spain trip, the very popular spring migration trip with guide Carlos Sanchez April 24 – May 7, is an excellent opportunity to look for Common Kingfisher, along with all the Africa-wintering European species moving through in great numbers at this time.

Malachite Kingfisher by Peg Abbott
Malachite Kingfisher by Peg Abbott

Another incredibly colorful kingfisher is the Malachite Kingfisher, which has been seen on all of our Africa tours, as it is widespread across the continent. One of the most irridescent of kingfishers, the Malachite’s shine, like a hummingbird’s glowing gorget, is the result of intricate feather structures called melanasomes rather than pigmentation in the feather itself, which accounts for their flash.

Africa is Kingfisher Heaven

Africa is a fabulous place to see kingfishers! Our most recent tour group to Tanzania saw seven kingfisher species, including one of the smallest, at less than five inches, the African Pygmy Kingfisher. Our next Tanzania Birding and Wildlife Safari is Jan. 30 to Feb. 11, 2023.

African Pygmy Kingfisher by Tom Dove
Tiny African Pygmy Kingfisher is less than 5 inches long. Photo Credit: Tom Dove

Our most recent trip to Botswana also saw a half-dozen kingfisher species, including Half-collared, Brown-hooded and Striped Kingfishers working the Chobe River, one of several water sources we visit on safari to encounter concentrations of wildlife, including lions, elephants, antelope and, of course, kingfishers!

  • Half-Collared Kingfisher. Photo Credit: Grancesco Veronesi via Creative Commons
  • Striped Kingfishers are seen in both Tanzania and Botswana
  • Brown-hooded Kingfisher by Derek Keats via Creative Commons

Kingfishers are Ancient

Dating back 40 million years in the fossil record, kingfishers share the suborder Alcidines with the Central America’s todys, who share their stubby tails, and motmots, who took tailfeathers in an entirely different direction. Having a short tail is especially helpful for kingfishers that dive underwater, helping them turn and maneuver with less resistance.

  • kingfishers are in the same family as this Tody Motmot.
  • Kingfishers are in the same family as this Trinidad Motmot

Catch, Kill, THEN Eat

Rather than risk indigestion, kingfishers won’t immediately eat fish that are still wriggling, especially large ones. They will instead either hold its prey until it suffocates or actively kill a fish by bashing it against a tree trunk or rock, as shown in this “Scoop of the Day” mini documentary about the Stork-Billed Kingfisher:

Kingfishers are Also Abundant in Asia

We have chances to see six or more kingfishers fishing in India, during a single cruise of the Sundarbans region on our March 10 – 23 Grand India Tigers & Glorious Birds tour:  Stork-billed, Brown, Little Pied, Black-capped, Common, and Collared Kingfisher. The Peacock is India’s national bird, but its best-selling beer is Kingfisher!

  • Stork-billed Kingfisher can be seen on our India tours. Photo Credit: Dibyendu Ash via Creative Commons
  • Black-Capped Kingfisher

Just north of India, the richly forested Kingdom of Bhutan is home to nine kingfisher species! We are taking an inaugural trip to Bhutan April 10 to 23: Biodiverse Bhutan: Birds, Mammals and Beyond. With luck we will see some of them darting into the many rivers that descend from Himalayan peaks, carving forested valleys.

pied Kingfisher by Annishaikh1990 via Creative Commons
Pied Kingfisher by Annishaikh1990 via Creative Commons

Kingfishers of Japan, Indonesia and Thailand

Among its many wetland species, in Japan we have chances to see up to 7 species and in Thailand, a full dozen. But there is no better Naturalist Journeys tour to see kingfishers than our Sept. 11 – 27, 2023 tour to Indonesia. In fact, you may add as many kingfishers to your life list as any other bird family. More than 50 kingfisher species can be found in Indonesia, including 16 endemics. Just wow!

  • Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher by Ariefrahman via Creative Commons
  • Great-billed Kingfisher by A.S. Kono via Creative Commons
  • Javan Kingfisher by Lip Kee Yap via Creative Commons