Green-and-rufous Kingfisher
Encyclopedia
The Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, Chloroceryle inda, is a resident breeding bird
in the lowlands of the American
tropics from southeastern Nicaragua
south to southern Brazil
.
shape, with a short tail and long bill. The adult male has glossy green upperparts, with white spotting on the wings, and a rufous nape and underparts. The female has a narrow green breast band. Young birds resemble the adult female, but have more spotting on the wings and back. There are no recognised subspecies of Green-and-rufous Kingfisher.
The call of this large American green kingfisher
is a chip-chip-chip and some twittering.
The Green-and-rufous Kingfisher resembles the American Pygmy Kingfisher
which shares its range, but it is much larger than its relative, and four times as heavy. It lacks the white lower belly shown by the smaller species, and has more white spots on the wings.
The smaller Green Kingfisher
and much larger Amazon Kingfisher
both have a white belly and collar.
Green-and-rufous Kingfishers are often seen perched on a branch above water before plunging in head first after their fish
or crab
prey.
and the Guianas, also Colombia with most of Venezuela, (the Orinoco River basin), a disjunct
range of the Green-and-rufous Kingfisher occurs on the southeast Brazil coast. A 200 km wide coastal range extends from central Bahia
in the north to Santa Catarina
, about 2200 km; a localized coastal population occurs north of Bahia in Pernambuco
.
The population in Nicaragua, Costa Rica
and Panama
is also disjunct being west of the Andes
cordillera; it is contiguous with a coastal population from central coastal Colombia
south to central coastal Ecuador
.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the lowlands of the American
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
tropics from southeastern Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
south to southern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Description
The Green-and-rufous Kingfisher is 24 cm long and weighs 60g. It has the typical kingfisherKingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
shape, with a short tail and long bill. The adult male has glossy green upperparts, with white spotting on the wings, and a rufous nape and underparts. The female has a narrow green breast band. Young birds resemble the adult female, but have more spotting on the wings and back. There are no recognised subspecies of Green-and-rufous Kingfisher.
The call of this large American green kingfisher
American green kingfisher
The American green kingfishers are the Chloroceryle genus of kingfishers, which are native to tropical Central and South America, with one species extending north to south Texas.They comprise four species:...
is a chip-chip-chip and some twittering.
The Green-and-rufous Kingfisher resembles the American Pygmy Kingfisher
American Pygmy Kingfisher
The American Pygmy Kingfisher, Chloroceryle aenea, is a resident breeding bird 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...
which shares its range, but it is much larger than its relative, and four times as heavy. It lacks the white lower belly shown by the smaller species, and has more white spots on the wings.
The smaller Green Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
The Green Kingfisher, Chloroceryle americana, is a resident breeding bird which occurs from southern Texas in the USA south through Central and South Americal to central Argentina....
and much larger Amazon Kingfisher
Amazon Kingfisher
The Amazon Kingfisher, Chloroceryle amazona, is a resident breeding bird in the lowlands of the American tropics from southern Mexico south through Central America to northern Argentina, with at least one bird having strayed north to Texas. Records from Trinidad are thought to be erroneous.This...
both have a white belly and collar.
Behaviour
This kingfisher breeds by rivers and streams in dense lowland forests. The unlined nest is in a horizontal tunnel made in a river bank, and the female lays three to five white eggs.Green-and-rufous Kingfishers are often seen perched on a branch above water before plunging in head first after their fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
or crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
prey.
Range in South America
Besides the Amazon BasinAmazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
and the Guianas, also Colombia with most of Venezuela, (the Orinoco River basin), a disjunct
Disjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
range of the Green-and-rufous Kingfisher occurs on the southeast Brazil coast. A 200 km wide coastal range extends from central Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
in the north to Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina (state)
Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
, about 2200 km; a localized coastal population occurs north of Bahia in Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
.
The population in Nicaragua, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
is also disjunct being west of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
cordillera; it is contiguous with a coastal population from central coastal Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
south to central coastal Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
.
External links
- Green-and-rufous Kingfisher videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Stamps (for SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
) with RangeMap - Green-and-rufous Kingfisher photo gallery VIREO Photo-High Res