The colourful world of kingfishers

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The first time I saw a kingfisher, specifically a Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), I was amazed. A electric blue flash hit the water with a quiet splash, the speed of the dive unlike the sound it made. It went in and grabbed a miniscule fish and then it disappeared in the foliage, all in a blink of an eye, it blew my mind. 

Colors ranging from simple black and white, to an explosion of orange, pink, blue, purple and white. Kingfishers are truly one of the most colorful creatures out there. In this post we will explore the dazzling world of kingfishers, lets dive right in.

(Photo by Alan McFadyen)

General knowledge

Kingfishers (the Alcedinidae), are a family, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes(1). The family contains up to 116 species, 3 subfamilies and 19 genera(2). Kingfishers are found in a variety of places excluding extremely hot desserts and polar regions. The general hotspot of kingfishers is Australia and old world tropics (3). Most species are found close to rivers and lakes, but some are also found in forests, in mountains, and open woodlands. Some species of kingfishers have even adapted to the urban sprawl; residing in city parks and gardens.

Kingfisher diet famously consists of fish, and most of them are adapted to hunt fish. While some other species such as the White-throated kingfisher prey on almost everything, ranging from frogs, snakes, centipedes to birds and mammals! 

(A photo I took of a White-throated kingfisher –Halcyon smyrnensis-, cleaning its beak after fishing out a fish from a pond in Wadi Hanifah, Saudi Arabia.) 

Different types of Kingfishers

The family of Alcedinidae (Kingfishers) split into three subfamilies; Alcedininae, Cerylinae and Halcyoninae.

Alcedinidae is the base of the other two subfamilies, and it is known as the pygmy kingfisher, they have 4 genera or genuses. Which includes;

  1. Ispidina: This genus has two species; the African pygmy kingfisher (Ispidina picta), and the The African dwarf kingfisher (Ispidina lecontei).  
  2. Corythornis: This genus includes 4 species. The Madagascar pygmy kingfisher (Corythornis madagascariensis), the Second species is the White-bellied kingfisher (Corythornis leucogaster), the third on the list is personally my favourite which is the Malachite kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus), and the last on the list is the Malagasy kingfisher (Corythornis vintsioides).

A flat billed kingfisher (Todiramphus recurvirostris), illustrated by Johannes Gerardus Keulemans in the book ”A monograph of Aledinidae: Or, a family of kingfishers” (1868-1871),  written by Richard Bowdler Sharpe.

3. Alcedo: This genus has seven species. The Cerulean kingfisher (Alcedo coerulescenes), the Javan blue-banded kingfisher (Alcedo euryzona), the Malayan blue-banded kingfisher (Alcedo peninsulae), the Shining-blue kingfisher (Alcedo quadribrachys), the Blue-eared kingfisher (Alcedo meninting), the Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), the Half-collared kingfisher (Alcedo semitorquata) and finally the Blyth’s kingfisher (Alcedo hercules).

 

4. Ceyx: This genus has 21 species.

A Common kingfisher, illustrated by Johannes Gerardus Keulemans in the book ”A monograph of Aledinidae: Or,a family of kingfishers” (1868-1871),  written by Richard Bowdler Sharpe.

A Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), -credit-.

Now onto the next subfamily the Cerylinae, or the Water kingfishers it has 3 genera; 

  1. Megaceryle: This genus has 4 species; Giant kingfisher(Megaceryle maxima), Crested kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris), Belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), and the Ringed kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata).
  2.  Ceryle: This genus has one species, the Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), with its black and white feathers its also one of my favorite.
  3. Chloroceryle: This genus has 4 species. The Amazon kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona), Green-and-rufous kingfisher (Chloroceryle inda), and the American pygmy kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea). 

Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea), ©Kevin Berkoff.

This is the biggest subfamily, which includes the 30 species in one genus. let us go through the Tree kingfisher or the Halcyoninae:

  1. Lacedo: The first genus on the list and includes only one species, the Banded kingfisher (Lacedopulchella).
  2. Pelargopsis: This genus has three species; Stork-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis), Great-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis melanorhyncha), and the Brown-winged kingfisher (Pelargopsis amauropterus).
  3. Halcyon: This genus has 12 very similar looking species. The first one is the Ruddy kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda), White-breasted kingfisher (Halycon symrnensis), Brown-breasted kingfisher (Halcyon gularis), Javan kingfisher (Halcyon cyanoventris), Chocolate-backed kingfisher (Halcyon badia), Black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata), Grey-headed kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala), Brown-hooded kingfisher (Halcyon albiventris), Striped kingfisher (Halcyon chelicuti), Blue-breasted kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis), Woodland kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis), and finally the Mangrove kingfisher (Halcyon senegaloides).
  4. Cittura: This genus has 2 species, and are found in the islands of Indonesia. The first one is the Sangihe lilac kingfisher (C. sanghirensis), and the Sulawesi lilac kingfisher (C.cyanotis).
  5. Tanysiptera: this genus of tree kingfishers are known as paradise kingfishers. It has 9 species of birds; Buff-breasted paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera sylvia), Black-capped (Tanysiptera nigriceps), Red-breasted paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera nympha), Brown-headed paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera danae), Little paradise-kingfisher (Tanysiptera hydrocharis), Common paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera galatea), Biak paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera riedelii), Numfor paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera carolinae), and finally the Koflau paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera ellioti).

A Beach kingfisher (Todiramphus saurophaga), above (©Carlos N. G. Bocos). And the unique looking Numfor Paradise-Kingfisher (Tanysiptera carolinae), left (© Mathieu Bally).

6. Melidora: This genus has one species, the hook-billed kingfisher (Melidora macrorrhina).

7. Dacelo: Otherwise Known as Kookaburras, they are terrestrial tree kingfishers. The first species is the  Spangled kookaburra (Dacelo tyro), Rufous-bellied kookaburra (Dacelo gaudichaud), Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaguineae), Blue-winged kookaburra (Dacelo leachii), and the Shovel-billed kookaburra (Dacelo rex).

8. Actenoides: This genus is in my opinion the most colorful genus, the genus contains the following species. The Green-backed kingfisher (Actenoides monachus), Black-headed kingfisher (Actenoides monachus capucinus), Scaly-breasted kingfisher (Actenoides princeps), Plain-backed kingfisher (Actenoides princeps regalis), Mustached kingfisher (Actenoides bougainvillei), Spotted wood kingfisher (Actenoides lindsayi), Hombron’s kingfisher (Actenoides hombroni), and the Rufous-collared kingfisher (Actenoides concretus).

[The name of the genus is from the classical Greek aktis, aktinos for “beam” or “brightness” and -oidēs for “resembling”. (Credit wikipedia).]

9. Syma: This genus has two species. The Mountain kingfisher (Syma megarrhyncha), and the Yellow-billed kingfisher (Syma torotoro). 

10. Todiramphus: This genus is the biggest, containing 30 species. These species is endemic to New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and some islands in the South Pacific. This is the list of 30 species -credit-:

The smallest kingfisher is called the Dwarf kingfisher Ispidina lecontei, above (Smithson institution). Left Giant kingfisher Megaceryle maximus, (credit).

 

How are they so colourful?

A Common kingfisher’s feather structure, see how the orange is a pigment while the blue is the structure of the feather, -credit-.

One of the most well known kingfishers is the Common Kingfisher, and also one of the most colorful of kingfishers. Common Kingfisher’s plumage include cyan, blue and orange.  Blue in vertebrates is very difficult to produce, so the Common Kingfisher’s feathers are not blue because of pigmentation, rather the structure of the feather which causes it to be semi-iridescent, unlike peacocks whom are truly iridescent. Semi-irdecent according to a article written by the university of Cambridge is ”produced when the layers are not quite perfectly aligned but slightly disrupted, thus causing a smaller span of iridescent color.” 

Conservation concerns

A White-throated kingfisher being ringed, credit birdsofsaudiarabia.

Most Kingfishers are threatened by human activities, some of them even face the danger of extinction. They are threatened by forestation and introduced species in the case of the Common Kingfisher. As kingfishers are high up the food chain, they are vulnerable to biomagnification, which is  when animals whom are high on the food chain consume a greater dose of toxic materials than animals low on the food chain.

Also some of the other problems Common Kingfishers face is industrial pollution killing all the fish kingfishers rely on, hence getting rid of many suitable habitats kingfishers would be present in. Climate change is also a problem, as cold winters cause the river to freeze up, preventing river kingfishers from diving for fish. Hot weather that cause rivers to dry up are a problem as riverways that wouldn’t usually ever dry up are drying up.

A Common kingfisher perched on top a pile of rubbish, and waste, credit the telegraph.

A Kingfisher drawn in flight by a Japanese artist, Kakunen Tsuruoka 1892-1977.

Kingfishers are amazing creatures. Although shy birds, they were always included in ancient fables and stories for their majestic looking beak and striking plumage.

We should do our best by protecting kingfishers and the water ways they preside on, as water bodies sport a plethora of creatures that cannot be replaced. They are easily my favorite type of birds, and I hope after reading this post, they become your favorite. 

So if you have any kingfisher habitats with recorded sightings of kingfishers, head out and try spot them. But remember they are incredibly shy, so make sure to be stealthy, take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints, and  kill nothing but time.

This the end of this post, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it, till the next time, Assalamu Alaikum!

Check out this post about real life dragons!

Nature walks are the secret to a great life, click on this link to read more.

Read about my trip to the bush of Somaliland.

Loved the photos? Check out the gallery, Photo-Mania!

 

Abdurrahman is a wildlife fanatic who absolutely loves nature and the outdoors, he is  regularly birdwatching and photographing wildlife. If you can’t find him birding or crouching behind a patch of reeds taking photos of waders, you will probably find him trail-running or cycling in the closest national park.

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