Alternative names: White-breasted Kingfisher or Smyrna Kingfisher
- Halcyon smyrnensis
Includes: Brown-breasted Kingfisher
Identification
26·5–28 cm (10½-11 in)
- Bluish-back, wings and tail
- Chestnut head, shoulders, flanks and lower belly
- White throat and breast
- Red bill and legs
Sexes are similar; juveniles are a duller version of the adult.
Flight
Large white patches are visible on the open wings.
Distribution
Egypt and Turkey east through Middle East and South Asia to the Philippines.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Five[1] or six[2] subspecies are recognized:
- H. s. smyrnensis:
- Arabian Peninsula to Caucasus Mountains and north-western India
- H. s. fusca:
- Westerm India and Sri Lanka
- H. s. saturatior:
- H. s. perpulchra:
- Myanmar to Malay Peninsula and Indochina
- H. s. fokiensis:
- H. s. gularis: Brown-breasted Kingfisher
Habitat
They make use of a mixture of habitats such as ponds, canals, swamps and mudflats, usually with some trees. The are not always found near water.
Behaviour
Diet
Their varied diet consists of large insects such as crickets and grasshoppers, rodents, snakes, fish and frogs and small birds.
Breeding
As with most kingfisher species, the nest chamber is in an earthy bank. The clutch consists of 4-7 round white eggs.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2015)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-throated Kingfisher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-throated_Kingfisher
Gallery
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External Links