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Winchell's kingfisher (''Todiramphus winchelli'') or the rufous-lored kingfisher, 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 lightweig ...
in the family Alcedinidae, the kingfishers. It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, its 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 ...
being 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 is threatened by
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...
, and the
International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...
(IUCN) has assessed it as a vulnerable species.


Taxonomy

This species was described as ''Halcyon Winchelli'' by British ornithologist
Richard Bowdler Sharpe Richard Bowdler Sharpe (22 November 1847 – 25 December 1909) was an English zoologist and ornithologist who worked as curator of the bird collection at the British Museum of natural history. In the course of his career he published several mo ...
in 1877, using a specimen collected by American ornithologist
Joseph Beal Steere Joseph Beal Steere (9 February 1842 – 7 December 1940) was an American ornithologist. Steere was born in Rollin, Michigan, the son of William Millhouse and Elizabeth Cleghorn (Beal) Steere. He received a B.A. from the University of Michigan i ...
. It was named after American geologist Newton Horace Winchell, as requested by Steere. Although two subspecies were later described, they were usually considered synonymous with the nominate before 1966. That year Kenneth C. Parkes studied a series of 45 specimens and recognised five subspecies, two of which were new. All five are still recognised: ''Todiramphus winchelli nigrorum'' found in the central and east-central Philippines, ''T. w. nesydrionetes'' in the north-central Philippines, ''T. w. mindanensis'' on
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
, ''T. w. winchelli'' on
Basilan Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan ( cbk, Provincia de Basilan; yka, Wilayah Basilanin; tsg, Wilaya' sin Basilan; fil, Lalawigan ng Basilan), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Reg ...
, and ''T. w. alfredi'' on the Sulu Archipelago in the southwest.


Description

Winchell's kingfisher is about long. The crown is blackish-blue, with cobalt-blue edges, and the lores and neck-collar are rufous. The upperparts are mostly blackish and dark blue, with a bright azure-blue rump. The underparts are white in the male, and buff in the female. The eyes are dark brown, the beak is black, and the legs are greyish. The juvenile bird is similar to the female, but with duller plumage. The subspecies are coloured different shades of blue. A black patch on the sides of the male's breast is conspicuous in subspecies ''nigrorum'' and concealed in others, and in ''nesydrionetes'', the female has an orange breast forming a band between the whitish throat and belly.


Distribution and habitat

This species is endemic to the Philippines, ranging from
Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
and Tablas south to Mindanao, Basilan and the Sulu Archipelago. It appears to be locally common on some islands, but it is rare in other localities. It lives in forest below in elevation, being found in coastal lowlands and foothills. Its tolerance of degraded forest is uncertain.


Behaviour

This kingfisher often perches in the canopy and sometimes descends to lower perches and to the ground, probably to feed. One of its calls is an ascending series of harsh ''chup'' and ''chep'' notes, and another consists of three rising notes and then a long descending series ''chu chu chu chu''. Loud squawking has also been heard. It batters its prey, which consists of large insects, spiders and small vertebrates. Little is known about its breeding. Nesting in a used arboreal termite nest has been recorded.


Status

The population size is estimated at 2,500–9,999 mature individuals, or 3,500–15,000 individuals in total.
Forest clearance Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...
and
illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corruption, corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, o ...
are causing
habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
and a fast population decline, so the IUCN has assessed it as a
vulnerable species A vulnerable species is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. Vulnera ...
. This species has been recorded in some protected areas, such as Mount Guiting-Guiting and Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape.


References


External links


BirdLife Species Factsheet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1275204 Winchell's kingfisher Endemic birds of the Philippines Winchell's kingfisher Taxonomy articles created by Polbot