The rusty-capped kingfisher or Palau kingfisher (''Todiramphus pelewensis'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

. The natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

of this species is subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the

Micronesian kingfisher Micronesian kingfisher is a common name used to refer to several species of bird of the genus ''Todiramphus'' found in neighboring island countries of the western Pacific Ocean. * Guam kingfisher The Guam kingfisher (''Todiramphus cinnamominus'' ...

. This is a brilliantly colored, medium-sized kingfisher. Adults are characterized by white underparts with long black eyestripes, while juveniles are cinnamon below. They have large laterally-flattened bills and dark legs. Kingfishers defend permanent territories as breeding pairs and family groups. Both sexes care for young, and some offspring remain with parents for extended periods. Little has been published about the status of rusty-capped kingfisher populations, although the US Fish and Wildlife Service has bird survey data for the region.

References

*Fry, C.H., K. Fry, A. Harris. 1992. ''Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, and Rollers''. Princeton University Press. Princeton, NJ. *Haig, S.M., J.D. Ballou, and N.J. Casna. 1995. Genetic identification of kin in Micronesian Kingfishers. Journal of Heredity 86: 423–431. *Pratt, H.D., P.L. Bruner, and D.G. Berrett. 1987. ''The Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific''. Princeton University Press. Princeton, NJ. *Kesler, D.C., and S.M. Haig. 2007.
Territoriality, prospecting, and dispersal in cooperatively breeding Micronesian Kingfishers
" Auk 124:381-395. *Kesler, D.C., and S. M. Haig. 2005.
Microclimate and nest site selection in Micronesian kingfishers
" Pacific Science 59:499-508. Todiramphus Birds described in 1891 Taxa named by Lionel William Wiglesworth {{Coraciiformes-stub

References

Further reading