A kingfisher is a small bird, often a shocking blue with an orange chest, that sits by rivers and lakes and dives in to catch fish. The one people picture has a large head, a long sharp beak, and a short tail. It flies fast and low over water, then hits the surface like a dart. Taiwan has kingfishers too; you may see them along streams. The name looks like king plus fisher (someone who fishes), and that is how it was built — originally “king’s fisher” in Middle English. Why it was called the king’s is not clear. It was not named because it rules other birds, and it is not a kind of fisherman. It is just the bird’s name, even if the pieces still make a picture: a hunter of fish with a grand title nobody can quite explain.