Red-backed Kingfisher - BirdForum Opus

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Photo © by Cutterpillar
Collinsville, Queensland, Australia, August 2018

Todiramphus pyrrhopygius

Identification

Photo © by Neil Fifer
Alice Springs, April 2004

22 cm (8¾ in)

• Rufous red patch on lower back and rump
• Black stripe running through eye to the back of the head

Distribution

Australia (except south-west and east, from southern Queensland to south-eastern South Australia)

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

Eucalypt woodlands, scrub and tussock grasslands, and areas with scattered trees.

Behaviour

Photo by Greg McKay
Eaglehawk, North Australia, October 2009

Diet

They feed on the ground, foraging for insects and reptiles. Their prey items consist of locusts, grasshoppers, mantids and beetles.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Australian Animals.net
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2018)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Red-backed Kingfisher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red-backed_Kingfisher

External Links

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