A striking small bird in vivid blue and orange, equipped with a long, sharp bill. Despite its bright colours, it can be surprisingly elusive and unobtrusive. It lives along rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds—any freshwater or slightly brackish setting where small fish are present. Often it sits quietly on branches overhanging the water, but is more commonly glimpsed as a swift turquoise streak skimming low across the surface, usually heading away. Its presence is often revealed by a thin, piercing whistle, even when the bird remains out of sight. Across most of its range, it is the only small blue kingfisher

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