Mountain Kingfisher
Syma megarhyncha
A large kingfisher of foothill and mid-montane forest. Bright orange head and body, blue back and tail, bright yellow bill and black mark on the back of the head. Females also have a black mark on the crown. Almost identical to Yellow-billed Kingfisher, but Mountain Kingfisher is larger, found higher up, and most birds have a dark smudge on top of the bill. Call, an accelerating series of loud notes, first rising slightly, then falling and ending in a trill. Remeniscent of a New World antshrike.
识别特征
It is a small kingfisher, with males weighing 52–60 g (1.8–2.1 oz) and females weighing 49–63 g (1.7–2.2 oz). Adults are between 21–24 cm (8.3–9.4 in) in length.<p>Males have a rufous head and underparts and greenish-blue upperparts, along with black loral and nape patches. The tail is dark blue and it has black wing feathers with bluish edges and tips. Females have a black crown and paler underparts. The neck patches are joined at the nape in females, making a bar across the back of the neck. The bill is bright yellow with a dark ridge along the culmen. The iris is dark brown and the feet and legs are dull yellow. Juveniles have a grayish-black bill and mottled-black ear coverts. They also have a larger black area around the eye and dark-tipped feathers on the cheeks and breast.<p>The yellow-billed kingfisher is similar in appearance, but has an all-yellow bill instead and is found at lower altitudes than the mountain kingfisher. It is also larger with a proportionally larger bill.<p>It typically vocalises from the canopy and mid-story. It has a loud whistled trilling call, typically composed of 3–4 descending trills separated by pauses. The song ends with a distinctive trill that drops, rises and drops in pitch. The initial trills are similar to the song of the chestnut-breasted cuckoo, but are longer and richer, and the cuckoo's song is much higher-pitched. The song is also similar to that of the yellow-billed kingfisher, but is deeper than that of the latter.
分类信息
The mountain kingfisher was described as Syma megarhycha by Tommaso Salvadori in 1896, on the basis of specimens collected in 1893 in Moroka, New Guinea. The generic name Syma is from the name of a sea nymph in Greek mythology. The specific name come from the Greek megas (great) and rhunkhos (bill). Mountain kingfisher has been designated as the official common name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC). The species is also known as the greater yellow-billed kingfisher or mountain yellow-billed kingfisher.<p>It is one of two species in the genus Syma, along with the yellow-billed kingfisher. These two species are closely related and were previously considered conspecific. Hybrids between them have also been recorded.<p>There are two recognised subspecies of the mountain kingfisher:<p>As these two subspecies are poorly defined, some authors have considered lumping the two, which would make the species monotypic.
- 学名
- Syma megarhyncha
- 命名信息
- Salvadori, 1896
- 目
- Coraciiformes
- 科
- Alcedinidae
- 属
- Syma
分布与栖息地
The mountain kingfisher is endemic to the island of New Guinea, and is found in both Western New Guinea and Papua New Guinea. It is common to uncommon through most of the New Guinea Highlands, except for the Bird's Head peninsula. Reports of the species from the Adelbert Mountains and the Foja Mountains are unconfirmed. The species mostly occurs between elevations of 1,200–2,400 m (3,900–7,900 ft), although they have been reported at elevations as low as 700 m (2,300 ft). At lower elevations, the species is replaced by the yellow-billed kingfisher.<p>The mountain kingfisher mainly inhabits primary forest and secondary growth within its range.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
It feeds on small lizards, insects, and larvae. It hunts by perching in middle and upper canopy for long periods of time, before diving to capture prey.Nests are dug into earthen riverbanks and dry timber. On Papua New Guinea, eggs are laid in December. Eggs are laid in clutches of two and are white in color.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
其他鸟类
Bell's Vireo
Vireo bellii
A fairly drab vireo of dense, scrubby vegetation, often near water. Two populations: Eastern birds are brighter, with yellow flanks and olive-green back. Note vague spectacled pattern around eye and one bright white wingbar (sometimes with a fainter upper wingbar). Western birds vary from dull olive above to entirely plain gray, usually with one bright wingbar. Look for long tail, often cocked and flipped around. Very active, flitting around nervously in low bushes and thickets. Listen for fast, scratchy song and harsh scold notes. Compare with the brighter and more contrasty White-eyed Vireo, especially in the East, and with the larger and plainer Gray Vireo in the West.
Glossy Antshrike
Sakesphorus luctuosus
A large antshrike with a spiky crest, an often partially concealed white wingbar, and a white-tipped tail. Males are entirely glossy black while females have a chestnut crest. Inhabits the understory of seasonally and permanently flooded forest with vine tangles and dense thickets, where its far-carrying song, an accelerating series of “tah” notes, rings out. Normally forages in pairs and occasionally accompanies mixed-species flocks.
Rufous Songlark
Cincloramphus mathewsi
Plain brownish songbird with faint pale eyebrow and rust-colored rump. Similar female White-winged Triller has white-edged wing panel. Brown Songlark larger, with longer legs and bill and more strongly patterned upperparts. Found across much of Australia, less so in the southeast, in treeless open habitats. Spectacular song includes long sequences of trills and loud electrical phrases, very unlike Brown Songlark.
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