Cerulean kingfisher

Last updated

Cerulean kingfisher
Cerulean Kingfisher 0A2A1617.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Subfamily: Alcedininae
Genus: Alcedo
Species:
A. coerulescens
Binomial name
Alcedo coerulescens
Vieillot, 1818

The cerulean kingfisher (Alcedo coerulescens) is a kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae which is native to parts of Indonesia. With an overall metallic blue impression, it is very similar to the common kingfisher, but it is white underneath instead of orange. Males average bluer than females, which have a greenish cast.

Contents

This species is sometimes called the small blue kingfisher but in Indonesia and parts of Asia that name refers to Alcedo atthis (common kingfisher). [2]

Taxonomy

The first formal description of the cerulean kingfisher was by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1818. He coined the binomial name Alcedo coerulescens. [3] [4] The specific epithet coerulescens is from the Latin caerulescens meaning "bluish". [5] The species is monotypic. [6]

Description

The cerulean kingfisher is a small kingfisher with a length of 13 cm (5.1 in). The upperparts are a range of shades of blue with white lores and a prominent white patch on each side of the neck. The underparts are white with an azure-blue breast-band. The bill is blackish and the legs are dark brown. The female has duller and slightly greenish plumage and a narrower breast band. [7]

Distribution and habitat

The cerulean kingfisher is native to Sumatra, Java, the Kangean Islands, Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa, all in Indonesia. It is a resident species that inhabits low-lying areas near streams, canals, flooded paddy-fields and tidal estuaries. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluish-grey saltator</span> Species of bird

The bluish-grey saltator or Amazonian grey saltator is a passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae that is widespread in semi-open habitats in tropical and subtropical South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-headed bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-headed bee-eater, or bay-headed bee-eater, is a bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It breeds on the Indian subcontinent and adjoining regions, ranging from India east to Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malachite kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The malachite kingfisher is a river kingfisher which is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara. It is largely resident except for seasonal climate-related movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodland kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The woodland kingfisher is a tree kingfisher that is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stork-billed kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The stork-billed kingfisher, is a tree kingfisher which is widely but sparsely distributed in the tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia. This kingfisher is resident throughout its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Half-collared kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The half-collared kingfisher is a kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae that is found in southern and eastern Africa. It feeds almost exclusively on fish and frequents streams, rivers and larger bodies of water with dense shoreline vegetation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriental dollarbird</span> Species of bird

The Oriental dollarbird is a bird of the roller family, so named because of the distinctive pale blue or white, coin-shaped spots on its wings. It can be found from Australia to Korea, Japan and India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The crested kingfisher is a very large kingfisher that is native to parts of southern Asia, stretching eastwards from the Indian Subcontinent towards Japan. It forms a species complex with the other three Megaceryle species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroon-bellied parakeet</span> Species of bird

The maroon-bellied parakeet is a small parrot found from southeastern Brazil to north-eastern Argentina, including eastern Paraguay and Uruguay. It is also known as the reddish-bellied parakeet, and in aviculture it is usually referred to as the maroon-bellied conure, reddish-bellied conure or brown-eared conure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collared kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The collared kingfisher is a medium-sized kingfisher belonging to the subfamily Halcyoninae, the tree kingfishers. It is also known as the white-collared kingfisher, black-masked kingfisher or mangrove kingfisher. It has a wide range extending from the Red Sea across southern Asia to Polynesia. A number of subspecies and subspecies groups have been split from this species including the Pacific kingfisher, the islet kingfisher, the Torresian kingfisher, the Mariana kingfisher, and the Melanesian kingfisher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The banded kingfisher is a tree kingfisher found in lowland tropical forests of southeast Asia. It is the only member of the genus Lacedo. Male and female adults are very different in plumage. The male has a bright blue crown with black and blue banding on the back. The female has rufous and black banding on the head and upperparts.

<i>Alcedo</i> Genus of birds

Alcedo is a genus of birds in the kingfisher subfamily Alcedininae. The genus was introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. The type species is the common kingfisher. Alcedo is the Latin for "kingfisher".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The little kingfisher is a species of kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shining-blue kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The shining-blue kingfisher is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is found in Equatorial Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple-winged roller</span> Species of bird

The purple-winged roller is a species of bird in the family Coraciidae. It is endemic to the Sulawesi subregion in Indonesia and can be found on the islands of Sulawesi, Bangka, Lembeh, Manterawu, Muna and Butung.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-throated roller</span> Species of bird

The blue-throated roller is a species of roller in the family Coraciidae. It is native to the African tropical rainforest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chattering kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The chattering kingfisher is a species of bird in the kingfisher family Alcedinidae. The species is found in the Cook Islands and the Society Islands in French Polynesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Society kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The Society kingfisher or Tahiti kingfisher is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to the Society Islands of French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-shouldered fire-eye</span> Species of bird

The white-shouldered fire-eye is a species of bird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is mainly found in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil and eastern Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broad-billed roller</span> Species of bird

The broad-billed roller is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across tropical Africa and Madagascar in all but the driest regions. It is a wet season breeder, which migrates from the northern and southern areas of its range towards the moister equatorial belt in the dry season.

References

  1. BirdLife International. (2016). "Alcedo coerulescens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22683117A92976544. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683117A92976544.en . Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  2. Ali, S.; Ripley, S.D. (2001) [1986]. "Bird Number 722-724". Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Vol. 4 (Second ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 72–78.
  3. Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1818). Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, appliquée aux arts, à l'agriculture, à l'économie rurale et domestique, à la médecine, etc (in French). Vol. 19. Paris: Deterville. p. 401. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.20211.
  4. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 175.
  5. Jobling, J.A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 113. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  6. Gill, F.; Donsker, D., eds. (2017). "Rollers, ground rollers & kingfishers". World Bird List Version 7.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  7. 1 2 Fry, C. H.; Fry, K.; Harris, A. (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, and Rollers. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 210–211. ISBN   978-0-7136-8028-7.