The Chattering Kingfishers
The Chattering Kingfishers (Todiramphus tutus) is a species of bird in the kingfisher family Alcedinidae.
Distribution / Range
The species is found in the Cook Islands and the Society Islands in French Polynesia. The species is probably closely related to the white-bellied Collared Kingfishers of Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.
Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and tropical moist montane forests. The species prefers primary forests in montane valleys but will move into secondary growth and old plantations.
The species has an uneven distribution and is rare in some locations; a survey of the island of Tahiti found none between 1986-1991, although it had been reported on the island in the past. Nevertheless, it is not considered threatened with extinction by the IUCN.
Description
It resembles the Collared Kingfisher but is smaller and lacks any rust colour in the plumage. The breast and throat are white, and the back, wings, and crown are blue-green (although the crown of the Atiu subspecies is almost entirely white). It can be told from the Tahiti Kingfisher by the complete white collar.
The Chattering Kingfisher lives singly or in pairs.
Diet / Feeding
It feeds on insects and lizards taken on the wing or from the ground.
Nesting / Breeding
The species nests in tree cavities.
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