- Todiramphus chloris
Todirhamphus chloris, Halcyon chloris
Identification
22-29 cm. Blue-green upperparts, white or buff below, white neck collar, black eye stripe, black bill, pale yellow lower mandible. Female - more green. Subspecies vary - white or buff eyestripe, white spot between bill and eye.
Distribution
Taxonomy
Was previously Halcyon chloris. The Sibley-Monroe spelling of the scientific name (Todirhamphus chloris) is incorrect. Clements and Howard & Moore both use Todiramphus chloris. More details in this discussion.
Polytypic. Consists of 50+ subspecies.
Todiramphus chloris abyssinicus W coast of Red Sea to head of Gulf of Aden
Todiramphus chloris kalbaensis S coast of Arabian Peninsula to extreme nw Oman
Todiramphus chloris vidali Peninsular India (Ratnagiri District)
Todiramphus chloris davisoni Andaman Islands and Cocos Islands (Indian Ocean)
Todiramphus chloris occipitalis Nicobar Islands
Todiramphus chloris humii NW India to Malay Pen., Thailand, Myanmar, Mergui Arch.
Todiramphus chloris armstrongi S Thailand and Myanmar
Todiramphus chloris chloropterus Islands off w Sumatra (except Enggano)
Todiramphus chloris azelus Enggano I. (off sw Sumatra)
Todiramphus chloris palmeri Java, Bali and adjacent islands in Java Sea
Todiramphus chloris laubmannianus S Sumatra, Borneo and adjacent islands
Todiramphus chloris collaris Philippines, Sulu Archipelago and Palawan
Todiramphus chloris chloris Sulawesi to nw New Guinea and Lesser Sundas
Todiramphus chloris pilbara W Australia (Exmouth Gulf to mouth of Turner River)
Todiramphus chloris sordidus S New Guinea, Aru Islands and coastal n Australia
Todiramphus chloris colcloughi Central Queensland coast to ne New South Wales
Todiramphus chloris colonus Islands off se Papua New Guinea and Louisiade Archipelago
Todiramphus chloris teraokai Palau Islands (w Caroline Islands)
Todiramphus chloris owstoni N Mariana Islands (Asuncion, Pagan, Almagan and Agrihan)
Todiramphus chloris albicilla S Mariana Islands (Saipan, Tinian and Aguiguan)
Todiramphus chloris orii Rota I. (s Mariana Islands)
Todiramphus chloris matthiae St. Matthias Islands (Papua New Guinea)
Todiramphus chloris stresemanni Witu, Umboi and adjacent islands in Dampier Straits
Todiramphus chloris nusae New Ireland (except sw), New Hanover and Feni Islands
Todiramphus chloris novaehiberniae New Ireland (Bismarck Archipelago)
Todiramphus chloris bennetti Nissan I. (e Papua New Guinea)
Todiramphus chloris tristrami New Britain (Bismarck Archipelago)
Todiramphus chloris alberti Buka, Bougainville and Solomon Islands (east to Guadalcanal) Todiramphus chloris mala Malaita (e Solomon Islands)
Todiramphus chloris sororum S Solomon Islands (Malaupaina and Malaulalo)
Todiramphus chloris pavuvu Pavuvu I. (Russel Group in central Solomon Islands)
Todiramphus chloris solomonis Solomon Islands (Uki Ni Masi, San Cristóbal and Santa Anna)
Todiramphus chloris amoenus Solomon Islands (Rennell and Bellona)
Todiramphus chloris brachyurus Reef Islands (Fenualoa and Lomlon)
Todiramphus chloris vicina Duff Group (e Solomon Islands)
Todiramphus chloris ornatus E Solomon Islands (Santa Cruz and Tinakula)
Todiramphus chloris utupuae Utupua I. (Santa Cruz Group in e Solomon Islands) Todiramphus chloris melanoderus Vanikolo I. (Santa Cruz Group in e Solomon Islands)
Todiramphus chloris torresianus Torres Group (Toga, Loh and Hiu)
Todiramphus chloris santoensis Banks Group to Espíritu Santo and Malo (n Vanuatu)
Todiramphus chloris juliae N and central Vanuatu (Maewo and Aoba islands to Efate)
Todiramphus chloris erromangae Erromango I. (s Vanuatu)
Todiramphus chloris tannensis Tanna I. (s Vanuatu)
Todiramphus chloris vitiensis Fiji (Ngau, Ovalau, Koro, Viti Levu, Vanua Levu and Taveuni)
Todiramphus chloris eximius Fiji (Kandavu, Ono and Vanua Kula) Todiramphus chloris marinus Lau Archipelago (e Fiji)
Todiramphus chloris sacer Tonga Todiramphus chloris regina Futuna (Wallis and Futuna, central Polynesia)
Todiramphus chloris pealei Tutuila I. (American Samoa)
Todiramphus chloris manuae American Samoa (Ofu, Olosega and Tau)
Habitat
Coastal areas, mangrove swamps, farmland, open woodland, grassland and gardens.
Behaviour
The diet includes crabs, insects, shrimps, frogs, worms, snails, lizards and small fish.
It nests in holes. 2-7 round whitish eggs are laid and are incubated by both parents. The young fledge about 44 days after hatching.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
