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Old 02-20-2009, 01:56 AM   #2
Thunder.gryphoN
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 6
The bird is a Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). It is widespread across most of Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa.

I am thinking photo manipulation on this one, comparing the size of the bird with the texture of the snow and ice, and the artifacts surrounding the kingfisher.
The bird looks to be a tad too small (The common kingfisher is roughly sparrow-sized), though birds can often seem to vary greatly in size because they can raise or lower their feathers.
Additionally, since the kingfishers rely heavily on fish and other aquatic prey, they need a sizable amount of open water, and I find it unlikely the kingfisher in the photo would have stuck around for a winter like that.
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