How to Use kingfisher in a Sentence

kingfisher

noun
  • Not all kingfishers feast on fish—some eat bugs, lizards and even other birds.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023
  • Along the river, look for more birds like kingfishers, osprey, and eagles.
    — Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 3 Dec. 2024
  • Purple swamp hens wade calmly through still waters as a pied kingfisher dives toward its prey.
    — Kalpana Sunder, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The kingfisher’s beak helps the bird dive underwater for prey.
    — Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Sparrows, bluebirds and a fly-by kingfisher get their portions, as do a pair of chipmunks at warp speed.
    — Allan Ripp, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2020
  • Each of its 21 rooms is named after a bird found near the estuary, such as kingfisher or heron.
    — Elaine Glusac, New York Times, 16 May 2017
  • Kingfishers give fish to their mates, while the great gray shrike, native to most northern climes, is more dramatic.
    — National Geographic, 24 Dec. 2016
  • Alligators may lounge on the shoreline and dozens of birds pass by from kingfishers to osprey.
    — Richard Tribou, OrlandoSentinel.com, 6 May 2018
  • Guam kingfishers have only been living in the wild again since 2024.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • The pools beavers make are too shallow for diving predators like mergansers and kingfishers and bigger fish.
    — Starre Vartan, National Geographic, 13 Aug. 2019
  • At the climax of the episode, two kingfishers sported over a stream, a dazzling dogfight of orange and blue.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
  • White cockatoos sailed among the branches, kingfishers flitted along the shore, and an osprey turned on high currents.
    — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 May 2020
  • Among its meanders, islands and beaches, there are storks, herons, cormorants and kingfishers.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 6 May 2026
  • Birds include plain chachalacas, ringed kingfishers and green jays, and rarities such as blue buntings and roadside hawks.
    — Houston Chronicle, 10 May 2018
  • But very little is known about most of them, including the South Philippine dwarf kingfisher.
    — Cara Giaimo, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2020
  • One photo circulating on the internet showed a kingfisher drenched in black oil.
    — Author: Iliana Magra, Alaska Dispatch News, 15 Sep. 2017
  • We were joined by fish eagles, malachite and giant kingfishers, herons, and even a Verreaux's eagle owl.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
  • Gliding across the water as the sun came up and the shorebirds — kingfishers, sandpipers, herons, egrets — sprang to life was a heavenly treat.
    — Susan Maas / Special To The Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 2 Feb. 2017
  • Visitors can walk a five-mile forest hiking trail and experience the chance to see kingfishers, hawks and green ibis.
    — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 27 May 2026
  • The ultimate goal is to return Guam kingfishers to their native island once the brown tree snakes can be managed.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 3 June 2026
  • There were the usual citizens of kingfishers, turtles, limpkins, herons, big fish and others.
    — Kevin Spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, 1 June 2018
  • The male Guam kingfisher hatched on April 19, while the female hatched on May 12.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Sibley’s kingfisher, perched in a posture of expectation on a branch, reminded me of a child waiting for a school bus.
    — Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2020
  • Koan is a laughing kookaburra, native to eastern Australia and the largest type of kingfisher.
    — Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Apr. 2021
  • Using their exacting sense of smell, minks prey on small animals—including salmon, moorhens, kingfishers and frogs.
    — Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024
  • The Guam kingfisher, known locally as a sihek, was wiped out in its native habitat by the invasive brown tree snake.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 3 June 2026
  • Dozens of other bird species call the park home year round, including night herons, great white egrets, kingfishers and the delta’s year-round resident flock of greater flamingos.
    — Smithsonian, 15 June 2018
  • Given that the birds number only 140 or so worldwide, every kingfisher counts.
    — Ryan P. Smith, Smithsonian, 1 June 2018
  • Kookaburras, which are large terrestrial tree kingfishers, are voracious predators of small birds, such as fairy wrens.
    — Grrlscientist, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
  • This configuration produces tilted stroke planes, much like those seen in geese, vultures, and kingfishers during slow flight.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kingfisher.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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