halcyon vs kingfisher

halcyon

noun
  • A tropical kingfisher of the genus Halcyon, such as the sacred kingfisher (Halcyon sancta) of Australia. 

  • The dead body of such a bird, said in Tudor times to act as a weather vane when hung from a beam. 

  • A kingfisher whose nesting by the sea was said, in classical mythology, to cause the Gods to restrain the wind and waves. 

adj
  • Pertaining to the halcyon or kingfisher. 

  • Calm, undisturbed, peaceful, serene. 

kingfisher

noun
  • common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) 

  • Any of various birds of the suborder Alcedines (or the family Alcedinidae sensu lato), having a large head, short tail and brilliant colouration; they feed mostly on fish. 

How often have the words halcyon and kingfisher occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )