Editing Kingfisher (section)

=== Breeding ===
Kingfishers are [[territory (animal)|territorial]], some species defending their territories vigorously. They are generally [[monogamy in animals|monogamous]], although cooperative breeding has been observed in some species and is quite common in others,<ref name="HBW" /> for example the laughing kookaburra, where [[helpers at the nest|helpers]] aid the dominant breeding pair in raising the young.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Legge|first1=S.|last2=Cockburn | first2=A. | year=2000 |title=Social and mating system of cooperatively breeding laughing kookaburras (''Dacelo novaeguineae'') | journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology | volume=47 | issue=4 | pages=220–229 | doi=10.1007/s002650050659 |bibcode=2000BEcoS..47..220L |s2cid=26382479}}</ref>

Like all Coraciiformes, the kingfishers are cavity nesters, as well as tree nesters, with most species [[bird nest|nesting]] in holes dug in the ground. These holes are usually in earth banks on the sides of rivers, lakes or man-made ditches. Some species may nest in holes in trees, the earth clinging to the roots of an uprooted tree, or arboreal nests of termites (termitarium). These termite nests are common in forest species. The nests take the form of a small chamber at the end of a tunnel. Nest-digging duties are shared between the sexes. During the initial excavations, the bird may fly at the chosen site with considerable force, and birds have injured themselves fatally while doing this. The length of the tunnels varies by species and location; nests in termitaria are necessarily much shorter than those dug into the earth, and nests in harder substrates are shorter than those in soft soil or sand. The longest tunnels recorded are those of the giant kingfisher, which have been found to be {{convert|8.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} long.<ref name="HBW" />

The eggs of kingfishers are invariably white. The typical [[clutch (eggs)|clutch]] size varies by species; some of the very large and very small species lay as few as two eggs per clutch, whereas others may lay 10 eggs, the typical is around three to six eggs. Both sexes [[avian incubation|incubate]] the eggs. The offspring of the kingfisher usually stay with the parents for 3–4 months.<ref name="HBW" />