Shining-blue Kingfisher
Alcedo quadribrachys
Compact kingfisher with a dark blue back and rufous underparts. The color of the back varies geographically, and can be purple-blue or paler blue. Found along forested streams and rivers and in mangroves. Secretive, solitary, and generally uncommon. Call is a high-pitched “seet.” Larger than Malachite Kingfisher, with a black bill. Similar to juvenile Malachite, which has a dark bill, but Shining-blue has a dark face without any orange.
Identification
The shining-blue kingfisher (Alcedo quadribrachys) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is found in tropical Africa. The shining-blue kingfisher was described of by the French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1850 and given its current binomial name Alcedo quadribrachys. The name Alcedo is the Latin word for a "kingfisher". The specific epithet quadribrachys is from the Latin quadri- for "four" and brachium meaning "arms" or in this case "toes". The shining-blue kingfisher is one of eight species in the genus Alcedo and is most closely related to the half-collared kingfisher (Alcedo semitorquata). There are two subspecies: A. q. quadribrachys Bonaparte, 1850 – Senegal and Gambia to west central Nigeria A. q. guentheri Sharpe, 1892 – southern Nigeria to Kenya, northwest Zambia and north Angola
Taxonomy
Genus: Alcedo; Family: Alcedinidae; Order: Coraciiformes.
- Scientific name
- Alcedo quadribrachys
- Authority
- Bonaparte, 1850
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Genus
- Alcedo
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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