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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.
This small kingfisher breeds by streams in forests or mangroves. The nest is in a horizontal tunnel up to a metre long made in a river bank. The female lays three, sometimes four, eggs.
The Green Kingfisher is 19 centimetres (7.5 in) long and weighs 27 grams (0.95 oz). It has the typical kingfisher shape, with a short tail and long bill. It is oily green above, with white markings on the wings and tail and a white collar around the neck.
Males have white underparts apart from a broad chestnut breast band and some green spotting on the flanks. Females have buff-white underparts with two green chest bands, the lower of which links to the green spotting along the sides of the belly.
Green Kingfishers are often seen perched on a low shaded branch close to water before plunging in head first after their fish prey. They also eat aquatic insects. These birds often give a pebbly rattling call.
Taxonomy
Variation in this species is clinal. There are five subspecies:[2]
- americana occupying northern South America east of the Andes, south to Bolivia and Brazil
- mathewsii occupying the area south of americana, to north Argentina
- hachisukai occurring from the southwestern United States to Mexico, where it merges into the next subspecies
- septentrionalis occurring from Mexico to Venezuela, where it merges with americana
- cabanisii occurring in north Chile and Peru into west Ecuador and Colombia, where it merges with americana
Birds occurring on Trinidad and Tobago, usually included in americana, have a larger and heavier bill than the mainland forms; these are sometimes[who?] separated as subspecies croteta.
Gallery
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Male above, female below.
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Male below, female above.
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References
- ffrench, Richard (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2nd edition ed.), Comstock Publishing. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2.
- Hilty, Steven L (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5.
External links
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