The Green Kingfishers, Chloroceryle americana, is a resident breeding bird that occurs from southern Texas in the USA south through Central and South America to central Argentina.
Table of Contents
Breeding / Nesting
These small kingfishers breed by streams in forests or mangroves. The nest is in a horizontal tunnel up to a metre long made on a river bank. The female lays three, sometimes four, eggs.
Description
The Green Kingfishers is 19 centimetres (7.5 in) long and weighs 27 grams (0.95 oz). It has the typical kingfisher shape, with a short tail and long bill. It is oily green above, with white markings on the wings and tail, and a white collar around the neck.
Males have white underparts apart from a broad chestnut breast band and some green spotting on the flanks. Females have buff-white underparts with two green chest bands, the lower of which links to the green spotting along the sides of the belly.
Diet / Feeding
Green Kingfishers are often seen perched on a low shaded branch close to water before plunging in head first after their fish prey. They also eat aquatic insects.
Variation in this species is clinal. There are five subspecies:
americana occupying northern South America east of the Andes, south to Bolivia and Brazil
mathewsii occupying the area south of americana, to north Argentina
hachisukai occurs from the southwestern United States to Mexico, where it merges into the next subspecies
septentrionalis occurring from Mexico to Venezuela, where it merges with americana
cabanisii occurring in north Chile and Peru into west Ecuador and Colombia, where it merges with americana
Birds occurring on Trinidad and Tobago, usually included in americana, have a larger and heavier bill than the mainland forms and are sometimes separated as subspecies croteta
References
BirdLife International (2008). In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 13 May 2010.
Fry, C Hilary; Fry, Kathie; Harris, Alan (1992). Kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 226–8. ISBN 0-7136-8028-8.
ffrench, Richard (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2nd edition ed.). London: Christopher Helm. p. 239. ISBN 0-7136-3518-5.
Hilty, Steven L (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5.
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