A kingfisher perches on a reed stem above the water, on the lookout for fish. Vincent van Gogh painted this small canvas in Paris in the summer of 1887, with loose strokes of green and blue for the reeds and water around the bird. Van Gogh owned a mounted kingfisher, which still survives, so the painting can be compared with his actual model. He gave the painted bird a slightly longer tail, probably to balance its raised beak, and feet, which it needed to perch on the reed. The painting was left at his brother Theo's apartment and passed to Theo's widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, and their son.

It is in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.