Red-backed Kingfisher

Identificazione

The red-backed kingfisher measures 20 to 24 cm (7.9 to 9.4 in); the male weighs 45–70 g (1.6–2.5 oz) and the female 41–62 g (1.4–2.2 oz). It has a streaked green and white crown, bluish-green wings and tail, and lower back, rump and upper tail coverts chestnut with white breast, abdomen, and nape. It has a black band stretching from the bill, through the eyes and to the ear coverts. The female is duller overall in coloration, with the crown more heavily streaked, dull turquoise in wings, and more buff in areas of white. The iris is dark brown and the legs and feet dark grey. Immature birds are like female, but with dull green back and mantle and speckling on their breasts.<p>The call is a descending, mournful whistle "kee-ip", repeated every few seconds in a long series from a tree-top or telephone wire. The red-backed kingfisher is noisy when mating with a harsh alarm calls and parrot-like chatter given by birds near the nest.

Tassonomia

The red-backed kingfisher was first described by the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould in 1841. He coined the binomial name Halcyon pyrrhopygia. It was known for many years by this scientific name before being transferred to the genus Todiramphus. The generic name is derived from the genus Todus (Brisson, 1760), 'tody' (a West Indian insectivorous bird) and Ancient Greek rhamphos, 'bill'. Its specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek words pyrrho-/πυρρο- 'flame-coloured' or 'red' and pyge/πυγή 'rump'. The species is monotypic.

Nome scientifico

Todiramphus pyrrhopygius

Autorità

(Gould, 1841)

Ordine

Coraciformi

Famiglia

Alcedinidae

Genere

Todiramphus

Areale e habitat

The red-backed kingfisher is native to most of Australia, except Tasmania and the extreme southwest and southeast of the mainland. It is a summer visitor to the southeast of the country; elsewhere it is resident all year round. It inhabits dry forests, mulga and mallee country, to spinifex and almost treeless country, often far from water. During breeding season, the red-backed kingfisher will move to river courses to make use of the earthy banks to dig nesting burrows. It appears to be partly migratory to the south of the continent for the breeding season, returning north in winter. It is moderately common to uncommon, due to its irregular nomadic movements, probably depending on the occurrence of erratic rainfall.

Areale riproduttivo

AU : Australia (except s, Tasmania)

Areale non riproduttivo

Le popolazioni meridionali si spostano verso nord

Migrazione

Specie stanziale

Comportamento

Comportamento migratorio: Specie stanziale.

Conservazione

Tendenza della popolazione: in aumento.

Tendenza della popolazione

in aumento