This article is about the subfamily "Alcedininae". For "Alcedo atthis" commonly known as "River kingfisher", see Common kingfisher.
The river kingfishers or pygmy kingfishers, subfamilyAlcedininae, are one of the three subfamilies of kingfishers. The river kingfishers are widespread through Africa and east and south Asia as far as Australia, with one species, the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) also appearing in Europe and northern Asia. This group includes many kingfishers that actually dive for fish. The origin of the subfamily is thought to have been in Asia.
These are brightly plumaged, compact birds with short tails, large heads, and long bills. They feed on insects or fish, and lay white eggs in a self-excavated burrow. Both adults incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.
All except one of the kingfishers in the reconstituted Ceyx have three rather than the usual four toes. The exception is the Sulawesi dwarf kingfisher which retains a vestigial fourth toe.[2][4]
All kingfishers are short-tailed large-headed compact birds with long pointed bills. Like other Coraciiformes, they are brightly coloured. Alcedo species typically have metallic blue upperparts and head, and orange or white underparts. The sexes may be identical, as with Bismarck kingfisher, but most species show some sexual dimorphism, ranging from a different bill colour as with common kingfisher to a completely different appearance. The male blue-banded kingfisher has white underparts with a blue breast band, whereas the female has orange underparts.[6]
The small kingfishers that make up the rest of the family have blue or orange upperparts and white or buff underparts, and show little sexual variation.[6] Across the family, the bill colour is linked to diet. The insectivorous species have red bills, and the fish-eaters have black bills.[7]
When perched, kingfishers sit quite upright, and the flight is fast and direct. The call is typically a simple high-pitched squeak, often given in flight.[8]
Most alcedinids are found in the warm climates of Africa and southern and southeast Asia. Three species reach Australia, but only the common kingfisher is found across most of Europe and temperate Asia. No members of this family are found in the Americas, although the American green kingfishers are believed to have derived from alcedinid stock. The origin of the family is thought to have been in southern Asia, which still has the most species.[9]
The Ceyx and Ispidina species are mainly birds of wet rainforest or other woodland, and are not necessarily associated with water. The Alcedo kingfishers are usually closely associated with fresh water, often in open habitats although some are primarily forest birds.[8]
Behaviouredit
Breedingedit
River kingfishers are monogamous and territorial. The pair excavates a burrow in an earth bank and lays two or more white eggs onto the bare surface. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.[8] Egg laying is staggered at one-day intervals so that if food is short only the older larger nestlings get fed. The chicks are naked, blind and helpless when they hatch, and stand on their heels, unlike any adult bird.[10]
Feedingedit
The small Ceyx and Ispidina species feed mainly on insects and spiders, but also take tadpoles, frogs and mayflynymphs from puddles. They will flycatch, and their red bills are flattened to assist in the capture of insects. The Alcedo kingfishers are typically fish-eaters with black bills, but will also take aquatic invertebrates, spiders and lizards. A few species are mainly insectivorous and have red bills. Typically fish are caught by diving into the water from a perch, although the kingfisher might hover briefly.[7]
Referencesedit
^Andersen, M.J.; McCullough, J.M.; Mauck III, W.M.; Smith, B.T.; Moyle, R.G. (2017). "A phylogeny of kingfishers reveals an Indomalayan origin and elevated rates of diversification on oceanic islands". Journal of Biogeography. 45 (2): 1–13. doi:10.1111/jbi.13139.
^ abMoyle, R.G.; Fuchs, J.; Pasquet, E.; Marks, B.D. (2007). "Feeding behavior, toe count, and the phylogenetic relationships among alcedinine kingfishers (Alcedininae)". Journal of Avian Biology. 38 (3): 317–326. doi:10.1111/J.2007.0908-8857.03921.x.
^ abGill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2017). "Rollers, ground rollers & kingfishers". World Bird List Version 7.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
^Moyle, Robert G. (2006). "A molecular phylogeny of kingfishers (Alcedinidae) with insights into early biogeographic history". Auk. 123 (2): 487–499. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2006)123[487:AMPOKA]2.0.CO;2. hdl:1808/16596. S2CID 84824051.
Fry, C. Hilary; Fry, Kathie; Harris, Alan (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, and Rollers. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN978-0-7136-8028-7.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alcedininae.
Kingfisher videos on the Internet Bird Collection
October 28, 2023
river, kingfisher, this, article, about, subfamily, alcedininae, alcedo, atthis, commonly, known, common, kingfisher, river, kingfishers, pygmy, kingfishers, subfamily, alcedininae, three, subfamilies, kingfishers, river, kingfishers, widespread, through, afri. This article is about the subfamily Alcedininae For Alcedo atthis commonly known as River kingfisher see Common kingfisher The river kingfishers or pygmy kingfishers subfamily Alcedininae are one of the three subfamilies of kingfishers The river kingfishers are widespread through Africa and east and south Asia as far as Australia with one species the common kingfisher Alcedo atthis also appearing in Europe and northern Asia This group includes many kingfishers that actually dive for fish The origin of the subfamily is thought to have been in Asia River kingfisherA male common kingfisher Alcedo atthis Scientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClade DinosauriaClass AvesOrder CoraciiformesFamily AlcedinidaeSubfamily AlcedininaeRafinesque 1815GeneraIspidina Corythornis Alcedo CeyxPhylogeny of the AlcedininaeAlcedininae IspidinaCorythornisAlcedoCeyxCladogram based on Andersen et al 2017 1 These are brightly plumaged compact birds with short tails large heads and long bills They feed on insects or fish and lay white eggs in a self excavated burrow Both adults incubate the eggs and feed the chicks Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Description 3 Distribution and habitat 4 Behaviour 4 1 Breeding 4 2 Feeding 5 References 6 Sources 7 External linksTaxonomy editA molecular phylogenetic study of the river kingfishers published in 2007 found that the genera as then defined did not form monophyletic groups 2 The species were subsequently rearranged into four monophyletic genera A clade containing four species were placed in the resurrected genus Corythornis and five species little kingfisher azure kingfisher Bismarck kingfisher silvery kingfisher and indigo banded kingfisher were moved from Alcedo to Ceyx 3 All except one of the kingfishers in the reconstituted Ceyx have three rather than the usual four toes The exception is the Sulawesi dwarf kingfisher which retains a vestigial fourth toe 2 4 The subfamily includes 35 species divided into four genera The African dwarf kingfisher is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Myioceyx and sometimes with the pygmy kingfishers in Ispidina Molecular analysis suggests that the Madagascar pygmy kingfisher is most closely related to the malachite kingfisher 5 Species in taxonomic sequence 3 Genus Common name BinomialIspidina African dwarf kingfisher Ispidina leconteiAfrican pygmy kingfisher Ispidina pictaCorythornis Madagascar pygmy kingfisher Corythornis madagascariensisWhite bellied kingfisher Corythornis leucogasterMalachite kingfisher Corythornis cristatusMalagasy kingfisher Corythornis vintsioidesAlcedo Cerulean kingfisher Alcedo coerulescensJavan blue banded kingfisher Alcedo euryzonaMalayan blue banded kingfisher Alcedo peninsulaeShining blue kingfisher Alcedo quadribrachysBlue eared kingfisher Alcedo menintingCommon kingfisher Alcedo atthisHalf collared kingfisher Alcedo semitorquataBlyth s kingfisher Alcedo herculesCeyx Oriental dwarf kingfisher Ceyx erithacaPhilippine dwarf kingfisher Ceyx melanurusSulawesi dwarf kingfisher Ceyx fallaxSangihe dwarf kingfisher Ceyx sangirensisMoluccan dwarf kingfisher Ceyx lepidusDimorphic dwarf kingfisher Ceyx margarethaeSula dwarf kingfisher Ceyx wallaciiBuru dwarf kingfisher Ceyx cajeliPapuan dwarf kingfisher Ceyx solitariusManus dwarf kingfisher Ceyx disparNew Ireland dwarf kingfisher Ceyx mulcatusNew Britain dwarf kingfisher Ceyx sacerdotisNorth Solomons dwarf kingfisher Ceyx meekiNew Georgia dwarf kingfisher Ceyx collectorisMalaita dwarf kingfisher Ceyx malaitaeGuadalcanal dwarf kingfisher Ceyx nigromaxillaMakira dwarf kingfisher Ceyx gentianusIndigo banded kingfisher Ceyx cyanopectaSouthern silvery kingfisher Ceyx argentatusNorthern silvery kingfisher Ceyx flumenicolaAzure kingfisher Ceyx azureusBismarck kingfisher Ceyx websteriLittle kingfisher Ceyx pusillusDescription edit nbsp Blue banded kingfisherAll kingfishers are short tailed large headed compact birds with long pointed bills Like other Coraciiformes they are brightly coloured Alcedo species typically have metallic blue upperparts and head and orange or white underparts The sexes may be identical as with Bismarck kingfisher but most species show some sexual dimorphism ranging from a different bill colour as with common kingfisher to a completely different appearance The male blue banded kingfisher has white underparts with a blue breast band whereas the female has orange underparts 6 The small kingfishers that make up the rest of the family have blue or orange upperparts and white or buff underparts and show little sexual variation 6 Across the family the bill colour is linked to diet The insectivorous species have red bills and the fish eaters have black bills 7 When perched kingfishers sit quite upright and the flight is fast and direct The call is typically a simple high pitched squeak often given in flight 8 Distribution and habitat edit nbsp Oriental dwarf kingfisherMost alcedinids are found in the warm climates of Africa and southern and southeast Asia Three species reach Australia but only the common kingfisher is found across most of Europe and temperate Asia No members of this family are found in the Americas although the American green kingfishers are believed to have derived from alcedinid stock The origin of the family is thought to have been in southern Asia which still has the most species 9 The Ceyx and Ispidina species are mainly birds of wet rainforest or other woodland and are not necessarily associated with water The Alcedo kingfishers are usually closely associated with fresh water often in open habitats although some are primarily forest birds 8 Behaviour editBreeding edit River kingfishers are monogamous and territorial The pair excavates a burrow in an earth bank and lays two or more white eggs onto the bare surface Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks 8 Egg laying is staggered at one day intervals so that if food is short only the older larger nestlings get fed The chicks are naked blind and helpless when they hatch and stand on their heels unlike any adult bird 10 Feeding edit The small Ceyx and Ispidina species feed mainly on insects and spiders but also take tadpoles frogs and mayfly nymphs from puddles They will flycatch and their red bills are flattened to assist in the capture of insects The Alcedo kingfishers are typically fish eaters with black bills but will also take aquatic invertebrates spiders and lizards A few species are mainly insectivorous and have red bills Typically fish are caught by diving into the water from a perch although the kingfisher might hover briefly 7 References edit Andersen M J McCullough J M Mauck III W M Smith B T Moyle R G 2017 A phylogeny of kingfishers reveals an Indomalayan origin and elevated rates of diversification on oceanic islands Journal of Biogeography 45 2 1 13 doi 10 1111 jbi 13139 a b Moyle R G Fuchs J Pasquet E Marks B D 2007 Feeding behavior toe count and the phylogenetic relationships among alcedinine kingfishers Alcedininae Journal of Avian Biology 38 3 317 326 doi 10 1111 J 2007 0908 8857 03921 x a b Gill Frank Donsker David eds 2017 Rollers ground rollers amp kingfishers World Bird List Version 7 2 International Ornithologists Union Retrieved 17 May 2017 Fry Fry amp Harris 1992 pp 8 9 Moyle Robert G 2006 A molecular phylogeny of kingfishers Alcedinidae with insights into early biogeographic history Auk 123 2 487 499 doi 10 1642 0004 8038 2006 123 487 AMPOKA 2 0 CO 2 hdl 1808 16596 S2CID 84824051 a b Fry Fry amp Harris 1992 pp 64 75 a b Fry Fry amp Harris 1992 pp 12 13 a b c Fry Fry amp Harris 1992 pp 195 223 Fry Fry amp Harris 1992 pp 21 22 Fry Fry amp Harris 1992 pp 17 18 Sources editFry C Hilary Fry Kathie Harris Alan 1992 Kingfishers Bee eaters and Rollers London Christopher Helm ISBN 978 0 7136 8028 7 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alcedininae Kingfisher videos on the Internet Bird Collection Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title River kingfisher amp oldid 1161880367, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
