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Kingfisher College Alumni
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but also can be seen in Europe. They can be found in deep forests near calm ponds and small rivers. The family contains 114 species and is divided into three subfamilies and 19 genera. All kingfishers have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with only small differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests. They consume a wide range of prey usually caught by swooping down from a perch. While kingfishers are usually thought to live near rivers and eat fish, many species live away from water and eat small invertebrates. Like other members of their order, they nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Azure Kingfisher
The azure kingfisher (''Ceyx azureus'') is a small kingfisher in the river kingfisher subfamily, Alcedininae.Pizzey, Graham and Doyle, Roy. (1980) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia.'' Collins Publishers, Sydney. Description The azure kingfisher measures in length, and the male weighs while the female is slightly heavier at . It is a very colourful bird, with deep blue to azure back, a large white to buff spot on the side of the neck and throat, rufous-buff with some blue-violet streaks on the breast and flanks. The feet are red with only two forward toes. The lores (the region between the eye and the bill) are white and inconspicuous except in front view, where they stand out as two large white eye-like spots which may have a role in warding off potential predators. Taxonomy The subspecies (see box at right) differ only in minor details: compared with the nominate subspecies ''Ceyx azureus azureus'', ''C. a. ruficollaris'' is smaller, brighter, and has more blue on t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dacelo
Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri ''guuguubarra'', onomatopoeic of its call. The loud, distinctive call of the laughing kookaburra is widely used as a stock sound effect in situations that involve an Australian bush setting or tropical jungle, especially in older movies. They are found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savannah, as well as in suburban areas with tall trees or near running water. Though they belong to the larger group known as "kingfishers", kookaburras are not closely associated with water. Taxonomy The genus ''Dacelo'' was introduced by English zoologist William Elford Leach in 1815. The type species is the laughing kookaburra. The name ''Dacelo'' is an anagram of ''alcedo'', the Latin word for a kingfisher. A molecular study published in 2017 found that the genus ''Dacelo'', as currently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cosmopolitan Distribution
In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The extreme opposite of a cosmopolitan species is an endemic one, being found only in a single geographical location. Qualification The caveat “in appropriate habitat” is used to qualify the term "cosmopolitan distribution", excluding in most instances polar regions, extreme altitudes, oceans, deserts, or small, isolated islands. For example, the housefly is highly cosmopolitan, yet is neither oceanic nor polar in its distribution. Related terms and concepts The term pandemism also is in use, but not all authors are consistent in the sense in which they use the term; some speak of pandemism mainly in referring to diseases and pandemics, and some as a term intermediate between endemism and cosmopolitanism, in effect regarding pandemism as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 & 4 fused at their base), though in many kingfishers one of these is missing. The members of this order are linked by their “slamming” behaviour, thrashing their prey onto surfaces to disarm or incapacitate them. This is largely an Old World order, with the representation in the New World limited to the dozen or so species of todies and motmots, and a mere handful of the more than a hundred species of kingfishers. The name Coraciiformes means " raven-like". Specifically, it comes from the Latin language "corax", meaning "raven" and Latin "forma", meaning "form", which is the standard ending for bird orders. Systematics This order has been seen to be something of a mixed assortment, and the Coraciiformes may be considered as including only the rollers. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Family (biology)
Family ( la, familia, plural ') is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae, but that family is commonly referred to as the "walnut family". What belongs to a family—or if a described family should be recognized at all—are proposed and determined by practicing taxonomists. There are no hard rules for describing or recognizing a family, but in plants, they can be characterized on the basis of both vegetative and reproductive features of plant species. Taxonomists often take different positions about descriptions, and there may be no broad consensus across the scientific community for some time. The publishing of new data and opini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingfisher Kakadu
Kingfishers are a family (biology), family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but also can be seen in Europe. They can be found in deep forests near calm ponds and small rivers. The family contains 114 species and is divided into three subfamilies and 19 genera. All kingfishers have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with only small sexual dimorphism, differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests. They consume a wide range of prey usually caught by swooping down from a perch. While kingfishers are usually thought to live near rivers and eat fish, many species live away from water and eat small invertebrates. Like other members of their order, they nest in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ceyx Erithaca
The oriental dwarf kingfisher (''Ceyx erithaca''), also known as the black-backed kingfisher or three-toed kingfisher, is a pocket-sized bird in the family Alcedinidae. This tropical kingfisher is a partial migrant that is endemic across much of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It resides in lowland forests, typically near streams or ponds, where it feeds upon insects, spiders, worms, crabs, fish, frogs, and lizards. This small bird is easily distinguishable from other birds in its range due to its red bill, yellow-orange underparts, lilac-rufous upperparts, and blue-black back. Description The oriental dwarf kingfisher is one of the smallest known kingfisher species. It is only slightly larger than a medium-sized hummingbird and measures 12.5–14 cm in length (including bill and tail). Females typically weigh 14-16g and males 14-21.5g, making the males slightly larger. The two sexes are otherwise alike and sexual dimorphism is not present. Both males and f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syma Torotoro
The yellow-billed kingfisher (''Syma torotoro'') is a medium-sized tree kingfisher. Taxonomy Three subspecies are recognised: *''Syma torotoro torotoro'' ( Lesson, 1827) found in West Papuan islands, lowland New Guinea, Yapen Island and Aru *''S. t. flavirostris'' ( Gould, 1850) found in Cape York Peninsula in northeastern Australia *''S. t. ochracea'' ( Rothschild and Hartert, 1901) found in the D'Entrecasteaux Islands of eastern Papua New Guinea Description The yellow-billed kingfisher is long, with a wingspan of , and it weighs . Its orange colouring and yellow bill are distinctive; it has an orange head and neck with a black nape patch and white throat. Adult females also have a black crown patch. The upper mantle is blackish grading to olive green on the back, blue-green on rump and with a blue tail. The upperwing is dull green-blue with dark olive-black flight feathers. The underparts are pale orange-grey. The bill is orange-yellow in adults, dark grey in ju ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dacelo Novaeguineae Waterworks
Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri ''guuguubarra'', onomatopoeic of its call. The loud, distinctive call of the laughing kookaburra is widely used as a stock sound effect in situations that involve an Australian bush setting or tropical jungle, especially in older movies. They are found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savannah, as well as in suburban areas with tall trees or near running water. Though they belong to the larger group known as " kingfishers", kookaburras are not closely associated with water. Taxonomy The genus ''Dacelo'' was introduced by English zoologist William Elford Leach in 1815. The type species is the laughing kookaburra. The name ''Dacelo'' is an anagram of ''alcedo'', the Latin word for a kingfisher. A molecular study published in 2017 found that the genus ''Dacelo'', as c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brown-headed Paradise-Kingfisher
The brown-headed paradise kingfisher (''Tanysiptera danae''), also known as the russet paradise kingfisher, is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to the lowland forest in the Bird's Tail Peninsula (Papua New Guinea). Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Like all paradise kingfishers this bird has colourful plumage with a red bill and distinctive long tail streamers. No subspecies are distinguished. Taxonomy The first formal description of the brown-headed paradise kingfisher was by the English ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1880 from specimens collected near Milne Bay in southeastern New Guinea. He coined the current binomial name ''Tanysiptera danae''. The genus ''Tanysiptera'' had been introduced by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1825. The name ''Tanysiptera'' is from classical Greek ''tanusipteros'' meaning "long-feathered". The specific epithet ''danae'' is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Megaceryle
''Megaceryle'' is a genus of very large kingfishers. They have a wide distribution in the Americas, Africa and southeast Asia. The genus was erected by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1848. The type species is a subspecies of the crested kingfisher, ''Megaceryle lugubris guttulata''. ''Megaceryle'' is from the Ancient Greek ''megas'', "great", and the existing genus '' Ceryle''. Species The genus comprises four species: All are specialist fish-eaters with prominent stiff crests on their heads. They have dark grey or bluish-grey upperparts, largely unmarked in the two American species, but heavily spotted with white in the Asian crested kingfisher and the African giant kingfisher. The underparts may be white or rufous, and all forms have a contrasting breast band except male ringed kingfisher. The underpart pattern is always different for the two sexes of each species. These birds nest in horizontal tunnels made in a river bank or sand bank. Both parents excavate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
