Half-collared Kingfisher
Alcedo semitorquata
Dark-blue kingfisher of aquatic habitats. Note the dark bill and dark blue face. Found mostly along wooded and forested streams and rivers, though also occurs in some other wetland habitats including freshwater marshes and coastal lagoons. 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 Half-collared has a dark face without any orange.
Identification
The half-collared kingfisher is a medium-sized kingfisher. It is around 18 cm (7.1 in) in length with a weight of 35–40 g (1.2–1.4 oz). It has blue upperparts, a white throat and pale orange underparts. The head has alternating light blue and dark blue bands running across the crown and each side of the neck has a creamy white stripe. The dark blue patches on either side of the neck form a half collar. The legs and feet are red. The sexes are very similar but the bill of the male is entirely black while the female has some red at the base of the lower mandible.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Alcedo semitorquata
- Authority
- Swainson, 1823
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Genus
- Alcedo
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sierra Nevada Brushfinch
Arremon basilicus
Shy and skulking brushfinch restricted to cloud forest in Colombia’s Santa Marta Mountains. Quite distinctive in its limited range, with a black face and breast spot, white throat, and striped head. It stays low in the understory and is often hard to see, but sometimes visits feeders within El Dorado Nature Reserve, where it can be easier to find. Song is a long series of high-pitched squeaks and trills.
Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher
Todiramphus australasia
A handsome forest kingfisher with a blue-green back, rich cinnamon underparts, a broad cinnamon eyebrow and collar, a wide blackish line through the eye, and a dark cap. Juvenile duller, with a white-tipped bill, a mottled breast, and scaling on some wing feathers. Inhabits forest and forest edge in lowlands and lower hills, rarely wandering into local gardens. Distinguished from Sacred and Collared Kingfishers by its almost completely umber-colored underside and its broad brow. Its swift, descending trill, “keeeerrrrer,” is often heard, as is its harsh “krrrreee-kreeee” notes and its yapping calls.
Biak Flycatcher
Myiagra atra
A fairly small bird of wooded areas on the Bay Islands. Low crest is flattened at the front and rounded at the back. Male is glossy black with a purplish-blue iridescence. Female is medium gray above, pale gray below with brownish flight feathers and a darker mask, contrasting with the pale throat. Male similar to male Shining Flycatcher, but Biak is found in forest rather than waterside thickets and is smaller and less glossy. Often found in pairs and female has gray rather than rufous upperparts. Voice, a simple up-and-down whistled song and raspy call.
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