Malachite kingfisher

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Malachite kingfisher
Malachite kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus).jpg
C. c. cristatus, Lake Baringo, Kenya
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Subfamily: Alcedininae
Genus: Corythornis
Species:
C. cristatus
Binomial name
Corythornis cristatus
(Pallas, 1764)
Subspecies

See text

Synonyms

Alcedo cristataPallas, 1764

The malachite kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus) is a river kingfisher which is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara. It is largely resident except for seasonal climate-related movements. Italians call it a Martin Pescatore.

Contents

Taxonomy

The malachite kingfisher was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name Alcedo cristata. [2] [3] [4] The specific epithet cristata is from the Latin cristatus meaning "crested" or "plumed". [5] The adjective "malachite" in the vernacular name normally refers to the dark green colour of the copper containing mineral. [6] This kingfisher has blue upperparts but has black banding with pale blue or greenish-blue on its forehead. [7]

A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2007 confirmed that the most closely related species is the Malagasy kingfisher, (Corythornis vintsioides). [8] The Malagasy kingfisher has a black bill and greenish crest, and is not quite as dependent on water as the African species. It is otherwise similar in plumage and behaviour to the more widespread malachite kingfisher. [9] The São Tomé kingfisher and the Príncipe kingfisher were sometimes considered as distinct species but a study published in 2008 showed that they are both subspecies of the malachite kingfisher. [10]

There are five subspecies: [11]

Description

It is a small kingfisher, around 13 cm (5.1 in) in length. In Southern Africa, the reference size is 14cm [12] and in East Africa [13] and Ethiopia, 12cm. [14] The general color of the upper parts of the adult bird is bright metallic blue. The head has a short crest of black and blue feathers, which gives rise to the scientific name. The face, cheeks, and underparts are rufous and there are white patches on the throat and rear neck sides. The bill is black in young birds and reddish-orange in adults; the legs are bright red. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are a duller version of the adult.

Distribution and habitat

This species is common to reeds and aquatic vegetation near slow-moving water or ponds. It occurs throughout Sub-Saharan Africa except for the very arid parts of Somalia, Kenya, Namibia and Botswana.

The flight of the malachite kingfisher is rapid, with the short, rounded wings whirring until they appear a mere blur. It usually flies low over water.

Malachite Kingfisher Malachite Kingfisher 3.jpg
Malachite Kingfisher

Behaviour

Breeding

The nest is a tunnel in a sandy bank, usually over water. Both birds excavate. Most burrows incline upward before the nesting chamber is reached. Three or four clutches of three to six round, white eggs are placed on a litter of fish bones and disgorged pellets.

Feeding

The bird has regular perches or stands from which it fishes. These are usually low over the water. It sits upright, its tail pointed downwards. It drops suddenly with a splash and usually returns at once with a struggling captive. Large food items are beaten on a bough or rail; small fish and insects are promptly swallowed. A fish is usually lifted and carried by its middle, but its position is changed, sometimes by tossing it into the air, before it is swallowed head downwards. Fish, aquatic insects, and crustaceans are eaten.

Related Research Articles

Kingfisher Family of birds

Kingfishers or Alcedinidae are a family of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania but also can be seen in Europe. They can be found in deep forests near calm ponds and small rivers. The family contains 114 species and is divided into three subfamilies and 19 genera. All kingfishers have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with only small differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests. They consume a wide range of prey usually caught by swooping down from a perch. While kingfishers are usually thought to live near rivers and eat fish, many species live away from water and eat small invertebrates. Like other members of their order, they nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into the natural or artificial banks in the ground. Some kingfishers nest in arboreal termite nests. A few species, principally insular forms, are threatened with extinction. In Britain, the word "kingfisher" normally refers to the common kingfisher.

Common kingfisher Species of bird

The common kingfisher, also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.

River kingfisher Subfamily of birds

The river kingfishers or pygmy kingfishers, subfamily Alcedininae, are one of the three subfamilies of kingfishers. The river kingfishers are widespread through Africa and east and south Asia as far as Australia, with one species, the common kingfisher also appearing in Europe and northern Asia. This group includes many kingfishers that actually dive for fish. The origin of the subfamily is thought to have been in Asia.

Green kingfisher Species of bird

The green kingfisher is a resident breeding bird which occurs from southern Texas in the United States south through Central and South America to central Argentina.

Half-collared kingfisher 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.

Giant kingfisher Species of bird

The giant kingfisher is the largest kingfisher in Africa, where it is a resident breeding bird over most of the continent south of the Sahara Desert, other than the arid southwest.

American pygmy kingfisher Species of bird

The American pygmy kingfisher is a resident breeding kingfisher which occurs in the American tropics from southern Mexico south through Central America to western Ecuador, and then around the northern Andes cordillera in the east to central Bolivia and central Brazil. The species occupies the entire Amazon basin and the Tocantins River drainage adjacent in Pará state Brazil. It also occurs on Trinidad.

Cerulean kingfisher Species of bird

The cerulean kingfisher is a kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae which is found in 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.

Grey-headed kingfisher Species of bird

The grey-headed kingfisher is a species of kingfisher that has a wide distribution from the Cape Verde Islands off the north-west coast of Africa to Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia, east to Ethiopia, Somalia and southern Arabia and south to South Africa.

Green-and-rufous kingfisher Species of bird

The green-and-rufous kingfisher is a resident breeding bird in the lowlands of the American tropics from southeastern Nicaragua south to southern Brazil.

<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".

White-bellied kingfisher Species of bird

The white-bellied kingfisher is a species of kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae that occurs in parts of equatorial west Africa. The first formal description of the species was by the British zoologist Louis Fraser in 1843 under the binomial name Halcyon leucogaster.

Príncipe kingfisher Subspecies of bird

The Príncipe kingfisher is a bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to the island of Príncipe off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. The first formal description of the species was by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1848 who gave it the binomial name Alcedo nais. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2008 showed that the Príncipe kingfisher is a subspecies of the malachite kingfisher.

São Tomé kingfisher Subspecies of bird

The São Tomé kingfisher is a bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to São Tomé, an island off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea and was first described by the Italian ornithologist Tommaso Salvadori in 1902 under the binomial name Corythornis thomensis. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2008 showed that the São Tomé kingfisher is a subspecies of the malachite kingfisher.

Malagasy kingfisher Species of bird

The Malagasy kingfisher or Madagascar kingfisher is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae that is found in Madagascar, Mayotte and the Comoros. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.

<i>Ispidina</i> Genus of birds

Ispidina is a genus of small insectivorous African river kingfishers.

<i>Corythornis</i> Genus of birds

Corythornis is a genus of small African river kingfishers.

Dimorphic dwarf kingfisher Species of bird

The dimorphic dwarf kingfisher is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae that is endemic to the central and southern Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Thomensis is Latin for "of Thomas" or "of the island of São Tomé". It may refer to several species found on the island and in the surrounding waters:

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2016). "Corythornis cristatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T61650582A95173998. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T61650582A95173998.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 176.
  3. ↑ Sherborn, C. Davies (1905). "The new species of birds in Vroeg's catalogue, 1764". Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 47: 332–341 [334 No. 55]. Includes a transcript of the 1764 text.
  4. ↑ Rookmaaker, L.C.; Pieters, F.F.J.M. (2000). "Birds in the sales catalogue of Adriaan Vroeg (1764) described by Pallas and Vosmaer". Contributions to Zoology. 69 (4): 271–277. doi: 10.1163/18759866-06904005 .
  5. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p.  122. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  6. ↑ "malachite" . Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  7. ↑ Fry, C. Hilary; Fry, Kathie; Harris, Alan (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, and Rollers. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 206–207. ISBN   978-0-7136-8028-7.
  8. ↑ Moyle, R.G.; Fuchs, J.; Pasquet, E.; Marks, B.D. (2007). "Feeding behavior, toe count, and the phylogenetic relationships among alcedinine kingfishers (Alcedininae)". Journal of Avian Biology. 38 (3): 317–326. doi:10.1111/J.2007.0908-8857.03921.x.
  9. ↑ Fry, C. Hilary; Fry, Kathie; Harris, Alan (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, and Rollers. London: Christopher Helm. p. 208. ISBN   978-0-7136-8028-7.
  10. ↑ Melo, M.; Fuchs, J. (2008). "Phylogenetic relationships of the Gulf of Guinea Alcedo kingfishers". Ibis. 150 (3): 633–639. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.2008.00826.x.
  11. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2016). "Rollers, ground rollers & kingfishers". World Bird List Version 7.3. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  12. ↑ Sinclair, Ian; Hockey, Phil; Tarboton, Warwick (2011). Birds of Southern Africa. London: Struik Nature. p. 256. ISBN   978-177007-925-0.
  13. ↑ Stevenson, Terry; Fanshawe, John (2014). Birds of East Africa. London: Christopher Helm. p. 226. ISBN   978-0-7136-7347-0.
  14. ↑ Redman, Nigel; Stevenson, Terry; Fanshawe, John (2011). Birds of The Horn of Africa. London: Christopher Helm. p. 242. ISBN   978-1-408157350.
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