This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill.

It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.

The flight of the kingfisher is fast, direct and usually low over water. The kingfisher has no song. The flight call is a short, sharp whistle chee repeated two or three times.