Difference between revisions of "Amazon Kingfisher" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 10:42, 10 October 2023

Male
Photo by Douglas Bolt
Peru, Amazon River, July 2004

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].

Female
Photo by juninho
Rio Pixaim, Pantanal, Brazil, September 2004

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.

Photo by oderson
SItumbiara-GO Brasil, September 2008

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. (2024) Amazon Kingfisher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Amazon_Kingfisher

External Links

Search for photos of Amazon Kingfisher in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[Image:Amazon_Kingfisher.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Male<br />Photo by {{user|Douglas+Bolt|Douglas Bolt}}<br />[[Peru]], Amazon River, July 2004]]
 ;[[:Category:Chloroceryle|Chloroceryle]] amazona
-[[Image:Amazon_Kingfisher.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by Douglas Bolt]]
 ==Identification==
-The Amazon Kingfisher resembles the [[Green Kingfisher]] which shares its range, but it is much larger than its relative, and three to four times as heavy. It is 29-30 cm long and weighs 110g. It has the typical kingfisher shape, with a short tail and long bill. It is oily green above, has a shaggy crest and a white collar around the neck. It does not have the white markings on the wings shown by [[Green Kingfisher]].
+Length 29-30 cm, weight 110g.<br />
+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<sup>[[#References|[4]]]</sup>.
+[[Image:7035Img3582.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Female<br />Photo by {{user|juninho|juninho}}<br />Rio Pixaim, Pantanal, [[Brazil]], September 2004 ]]
+==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]]. <sup>[[#References|[1]]],[[#References|[3]]]</sup>
+==Taxonomy==
+This is a [[Dictionary_M-O#M|monotypic]] species<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>.
-Males have white underparts, a broad chestnut breast band and some green streaks on the flanks. Females have white underparts with green patches on the side of the chest and green flank streaks. Young birds resemble the adult female, but have white spots on the wings.
+Two subspecies are recognised by some authors:  ''C. a. amazona'' and ''C. a.  mexicana''<sup>[[#References|2]]</sup>
-==Distribution==
-The Amazon Kingfisher is found in the lowlands of the American tropics from southern [[Mexico]] south through [[Central America]] to northern [[Argentina]].
-==Taxonomy==
-This is a monotypic species.
 ==Habitat==
+Mostly by slow-moving water.
 ==Behaviour==
-These birds often give a harsh teck call. The rarely heard song, given from a tree top, is a whistled see see see see.
+They dive from a branch or rock to catch their fish.
-It breeds by streams. The unlined nest is in a horizontal tunnel made in a river bank, and up to 1.6 m long and 10 cm wide. The female lays three, sometimes four, white eggs.
+[[Image:Martin5a.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|oderson|oderson}}<br />SItumbiara-GO Brasil, September 2008]]
-Amazon Kingfishers are often seen perched on a branch or rock close to water before plunging in head first after their fish prey. They are the most likely green kingfisher to be seen on large rivers
+====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.<sup>[[#References|3]]</sup>
+==References==
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug16}}#Avibase
+# Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
+# [http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=34624 Thread] in Id forum on Green versus Amazon Kingfisher
+#Wikipedia
+*[http://www.arthurgrosset.com/sabirds/amazon%20kingfisher.html Arthur Grosset's Birds]
+{{Ref}}
+==External Links==
-==External Links==
+{{GSearch|"Chloroceryle amazona" {{!}} "Amazon Kingfisher"}}
-{{GSearch|Chloroceryle+amazona}}
+{{GS-checked}}1
+<br />
+<br />
 [[Category:Birds]][[Category:Chloroceryle]]