Where Do Kingfishers Nest? Riverbank Burrows Explained

Where: A burrow in a steep earth or sand bank by a river, stream or lake
Nest: A tunnel 60 to 90 cm long with a chamber at the end, nothing brought in
When: April to August, first eggs usually late April
Eggs: Usually 5 to 7, kept warm by both parents for about 20 days
Broods: One or two, now and then three
Fledging: Around 3 to 4 weeks after hatching
Protection: Schedule 1: even disturbing the nest needs a licence

Where kingfishers nest

A kingfisher needs two things close together: water with plenty of small fish, and a bank it can dig into. The bank has to be steep, close to vertical, with bare soft earth or sand and not too many stones or roots. The burrow usually starts some way below the top of the bank, well above the water.

That rules out most of the countryside, which is why the same stretch of river can have kingfishers for years and the next stretch none. Banks that have been reinforced, planted over or trampled flat are no good to them. So unless your garden runs down to a suitable river, a kingfisher is not going to nest in it, although one may well drop in to fish a pond if there is a river nearby.

What a kingfisher’s nest looks like

From outside, all you see is a round hole in the bank, only about 6 centimetres across. Both birds dig it, loosening the soil with their beaks and kicking it out behind them. Inside, the tunnel runs back 60 to 90 centimetres to a chamber with a shallow dip in the floor, so the eggs do not roll.

There is no nest in the usual sense. They bring in no grass, no moss and no lining. The eggs go straight on the soil, and over the weeks the floor gets covered in the fish bones the birds cough up. By the time the chicks leave, it is not a pleasant place.

When kingfishers nest

The first eggs usually go down in late April, though it can be any time from early April. There are normally five to seven of them, glossy white and nearly round. Both parents take turns sitting on them, for about 20 days.

The chicks stay in the burrow for three to four weeks. Soon after they leave, the parents drive them off the territory and often start another brood, so a busy pair can still be digging and feeding into the summer. August, when all those young birds are out looking for a stretch of river of their own, is the month you are most likely to see one.

How to help kingfishers

I would love to say a nest box will do it, but for most of us the honest answer is that kingfishers need rivers more than gardens. What helps:

Clean water. No fish, no kingfishers. If you see pollution in a river, report it: the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland or NIEA in Northern Ireland.
Bare banks left alone. If you own or look after a riverbank, leave a steep, bare section as it is rather than shoring it up or letting it grow over.
Artificial banks. Where there is no natural bank, landowners and reserves build nesting banks or set tunnels into them, and kingfishers do use them.
Keep your distance in spring and summer. Kingfishers are on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, so it is an offence to disturb one at or near its nest without a licence, and that includes getting close for a photo.

Checked against: RSPB: Kingfisher, BTO BirdFacts: Kingfisher. Last checked 8 November 2026.

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Questions

When do kingfishers nest?

From April. The first eggs are usually laid in late April, and with a second brood, and now and then a third, a pair can be nesting until late summer.

How deep is a kingfisher’s nest?

The tunnel usually goes 60 to 90 centimetres into the bank and ends in a small chamber where the eggs are laid.

Do kingfishers use nest boxes?

Not the kind you hang on a tree. They do use artificial nesting banks and tunnels set into a bank by water, which some reserves and landowners build for them.

Can I get a kingfisher to nest in my garden?

Only if your garden backs onto a river or lake with a steep, bare bank. A kingfisher may visit a garden pond to fish if there is a river close by, but it will not nest there.

Is it illegal to disturb a kingfisher’s nest?

Yes. Kingfishers are on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which protects them from being disturbed while they nest, on top of the protection every wild bird’s nest has.