- Todiramphus diops
Todirhamphus diops
Halcyon diops
Identification
- Bright azure-blue upperparts
- Gleaming white underside.
- All dark bill.
- Female shows a diagnostic blue chest band
- Male is entirely white underneath with a white collar.
- White wing patches visible in flight.
- Juvenile has rufous spot beside bill and rufous collar and flanks.
Similar Species
The larger Collared Kingfisher has green tones above and a pale mandible.
Distribution
Indonesia: found in Halmahera, Ternate, Morotai, Bacan, Obi and adjacent Moluccas
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1]. Was previously Halcyon diops. The Sibley-Monroe (1993) spelling of the scientific name (Todirhamphus diops) is incorrect. Clements (2007) and Howard & Moore both use Todiramphus diops. More details in this discussion. Formerly lumped with Lazuli Kingfisher
Habitat
Open wooded country, plantations, degraded forest and forest edge in the lowlands and foothills, avoiding dense forest.
Behaviour
Typically found in pairs.
Breeding
Poorly known. It reportedly nests in a cavity.
Diet
The diet includes grasshoppers.
Vocalizations
Call is a short, strident “rit-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-rit.”
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- BirdForum Member observations
- Woodall, P. F. (2020). Blue-and-white Kingfisher (Todiramphus diops), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bawkin1.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Blue-and-white Kingfisher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blue-and-white_Kingfisher
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
