Red-backed Kingfishers have adapted to the arid regions of the inland moreso than any other kingfisher. They occur virtually all over Australia, only avoiding the humid forested parts of the east coast and far SW Western Australia. In southern Australia they are migrants, arriving from the north in August - as soon as they arrive, their short, downslurred mournful whistle betrays their presence and can be heard from quite a distance, but easily goes unnoticed to the uninitiated.

When nesting a favourite site for their nest tunnel is the vertical bank of an eroded creekline but fallen tree stumps ( see #325205D) are a suitable alternative. Unfortunately the lower, more easily accessed creekside nests frequently fall prey to burrowing goannas and foxes.