Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution: most species live in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but they can also be found in Europe and the Americas.Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution: most species live in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but they can also be found in Europe and the Americas.