''Todiramphus'' is a genus of
kingfisher
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, ...
s in the subfamily
Halcyoninae
The tree kingfishers, also called wood kingfishers or Halcyoninae, are the most numerous of the three family (biology), subfamilies of birds in the kingfisher family, with around 70 species divided into 12 genus, genera, including several specie ...
.
The genus was introduced by the French surgeon and naturalist
René Lesson
René-Primevère Lesson (20 March 1794 – 28 April 1849) was a French surgeon, naturalist, ornithologist, and herpetologist.
Biography
Lesson was born at Rochefort, and entered the Naval Medical School in Rochefort at the age of sixteen. H ...
in 1827. The name is often spelt ''Todirhamphus'' (with ''rh''), but ''Todiramphus'' is the original valid spelling. The name literally means "tody-bill";
tody
The todies are a family, Todidae, of tiny Caribbean birds in the order Coraciiformes, which also includes the kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers. The family has one living genus, '' Todus'', and one genus known from the fossil record, '' Palaeot ...
is a relative of the kingfishers with a similar slender long bill, and the Greek ' () means "beak" or "bill".
There are around 30 extant species in the genus, but the classification of several Pacific island forms is still unclear.
The range of the genus extends from the
Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...
in the west to
French Polynesia
)Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze")
, anthem =
, song_type = Regional anthem
, song = "Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui"
, image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of French ...
in the east, with the greatest diversity in
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologic ...
.
Members of ''Todiramphus'' are medium-sized kingfishers with flattened beaks. They are typically blue or blue-green above with pale underparts. They often have a pale collar and stripe over the eye. Many species are commonly found well away from water and feed largely on terrestrial animals such as insects and lizards. The nest is built in a cavity, most often in a tree.
Species
*
Blue-black kingfisher, ''Todiramphus nigrocyaneus''
*
Winchell's kingfisher
Winchell's kingfisher (''Todiramphus winchelli'') or the rufous-lored kingfisher, is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae, the kingfishers. It is endemic to the Philippines, its natural habitat being lowland forests. It is threatened by ...
, ''Todiramphus winchelli''
*
Blue-and-white kingfisher
The blue-and-white kingfisher (''Todiramphus diops'') is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae.
It is endemic to North Maluku in Indonesia. It can be found on the islands of Morotai, Ngelengele, Halmahera, Damar, Ternate, Tidore, Moti, Bac ...
, ''Todiramphus diops''
*
Lazuli kingfisher
The lazuli kingfisher (''Todiramphus lazuli'') is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It can be found on the islands of Seram, Ambon and Haruku. . Found singly and in pairs in lowland wooded areas, including cultivated areas and mangrov ...
, ''Todiramphus lazuli''
*
Forest kingfisher
The forest kingfisher (''Todiramphus macleayii''), also known as Macleay's or the blue kingfisher, is a species of kingfisher in the subfamily Halcyoninae, also known as tree kingfishers. It is a predominantly blue and white bird. It is found in ...
, ''Todiramphus macleayii''
*
White-mantled kingfisher, ''Todiramphus albonotatus''
*
Ultramarine kingfisher
The ultramarine kingfisher (''Todiramphus leucopygius'') is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae.
Habitat
It is found on Bougainville Island and the Solomon Islands.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest ...
, ''Todiramphus leucopygius''
*
Vanuatu kingfisher
:''The name chestnut-bellied kingfisher can also refer to the grey-headed kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) of Africa.
The Vanuatu kingfisher or chestnut-bellied kingfisher (''Todiramphus farquhari'') is a medium-sized kingfisher found only on t ...
, ''Todiramphus farquhari''
*
Sombre kingfisher
The sombre kingfisher (''Todiramphus funebris'') is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to island of Halmahera, in North Maluku, Indonesia.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropic ...
, ''Todiramphus funebris''
*
Collared kingfisher, ''Todiramphus chloris''
*
Torresian kingfisher
The Torresian kingfisher (''Todiramphus sordidus'') is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is found in southern New Guinea and in Australia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, mangroves, and pla ...
, ''Todiramphus sordidus''
*
Islet kingfisher, ''Todiramphus colonus''
*
Mariana kingfisher, ''Todiramphus albicilla''
*
Melanesian kingfisher, ''Todiramphus tristrami''
*
Pacific kingfisher
The Pacific kingfisher (''Todiramphus sacer'') is a medium-sized kingfisher belonging to the subfamily Halcyoninae, the tree kingfishers. It has a wide range throughout the South Pacific islands. It was previously considered a subspecies of the ...
, ''Todiramphus sacer''
*
Talaud kingfisher
The Talaud kingfisher (''Todiramphus enigma'') is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae.
It is endemic to the Talaud Islands north of Sulawesi in Indonesia.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and rive ...
, ''Todiramphus enigma''
*
Guam kingfisher
The Guam kingfisher (''Todiramphus cinnamominus'') is a species of kingfisher from the United States Territory of Guam. It is restricted to a captive breeding program following its extinction in the wild due primarily to predation by the introd ...
, ''Todiramphus cinnamominus''
** †
Ryūkyū kingfisher, ''Todiramphus (cinnamominus) miyakoensis'' -
extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
(late 19th century)
*
Rusty-capped kingfisher, ''Todiramphus pelewensis''
*
Pohnpei kingfisher, ''Todiramphus reichenbachii''
*
Beach kingfisher
The beach kingfisher (''Todiramphus saurophagus'') is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forest
A forest ...
, ''Todiramphus saurophagus''
*
Sacred kingfisher
The sacred kingfisher (''Todiramphus sanctus'') is a medium-sized woodland kingfisher that occurs in mangroves, woodlands, forests and river valleys in Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the western Pacific.
Taxonomy
The binomial name ''H ...
, ''Todiramphus sanctus''
*
Flat-billed kingfisher, ''Todiramphus recurvirostris'' - formerly in ''T. sanctus''
*
Cinnamon-banded kingfisher, ''Todiramphus australasia''
*
Chattering kingfisher, ''Todiramphus tutus''
*
Mewing kingfisher, ''Todiramphus ruficollaris'' - formerly in ''T. tutus''
*
Society kingfisher
The Society kingfisher or Tahiti kingfisher (''Todiramphus veneratus'') is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to the Society Islands of French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland f ...
, ''Todiramphus veneratus''
*
Mangareva kingfisher, ''Todiramphus gambieri''
*
Niau kingfisher, ''Todiramphus gertrudae''
*
Marquesan kingfisher
The Marquesan kingfisher or Marquesas kingfisher (''Todiramphus godeffroyi'') is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to French Polynesia. It is threatened by habitat loss and predation by introduced species, and is curr ...
, ''Todiramphus godeffroyi''
*
Red-backed kingfisher, ''Todiramphus pyrrhopygius''
* †
Rarotonga kingfisher, ''Todiramphus'' cf. ''tutus'' -
extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
(mid-1980s?)
References
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External links
ITIS Report for ''Todiramphus''
Taxa named by René Lesson
{{Coraciiformes-stub