- Chloroceryle amazona
Identification
Length 29-30 cm, weight 110g.
Upperside is green except for a white collar around the neck. Underside mostly white with green flank streaks. The male has a rufous band across the upper breast.
Confusion Species
The similar Green Kingfisher is much smaller and has more extensive white on wings[4].
Distribution
From southern Mexico through Central America to northern Argentina; in South America only found east of the Andes, the Amazon and other lowlands of Colombia. [1],[3]
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Two subspecies are recognised by some authors: C. a. amazona and C. a. mexicana2
Habitat
Mostly by slow-moving water.
Behaviour
They dive from a branch or rock to catch their fish.
Breeding
It breeds beside streams. The nest is at the end of a horizontal tunnel made in a river bank, and up to 1.6 m long and 10 cm wide. The female lays three or four, white eggs.
Vocalisation
Call is variably described as teck, "tek", or "cack", with a hard quality, sometimes given alone at other times in series. The bird is able to sing in more musical notes.3
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
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
- Thread in Id forum on Green versus Amazon Kingfisher
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Amazon Kingfisher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Amazon_Kingfisher
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
