Wildlife

Kingfisher Nest Bank Welfare and Conservation

Kingfishers require clean rivers with stable, sandy banks for nesting and face multiple threats to welfare and breeding success.

Key Facts

Kingfishers excavate horizontal nest tunnels up to 90cm deep in sandy or earthen riverbanks
River erosion and flood events can destroy nests during the breeding season
Mink and weasel predation at nest tunnels is a significant brood loss cause
Winter cold spells causing ice-over on rivers can cause starvation in a matter of days
Artificial nest banks installed by river authorities and landowners supplement natural nesting habitat

Welfare Considerations

Nest failure from flooding, predation and bank erosion causes significant welfare costs to breeding kingfishers, with adults losing weeks of breeding investment. Winter starvation events kill vulnerable individuals rapidly. Supporting clean rivers, installing artificial nest banks and controlling mink protects individual and population welfare.

What You Can Do

Support the Environment Agency and wildlife trusts' river restoration and bank stabilisation programmes
Install kingfisher nest banks on rivers you manage with guidance from RSPB
Control mink in kingfisher territories through licensed trapping or deterrence
Report water pollution to the Environment Agency's 24-hour hotline 0800 807060