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Green Kingfisher

Chloroceryle americanaOrder: CORACIIFORMES Family: Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Codes: Common Name: GKIN Scientific Name: CHLAME ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178112
Least Concern
 
Green Kingfisher Breeding Male
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Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
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Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
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Overview

Green Kingfisher: Small kingfisher, dark green head, back, and wings, white chin, collar, rufous breast band, white belly with black spots. Black bill is long and straight. Legs and feet are gray. Feeds mostly on small fish taken in dives and aquatic insects, amphibians. Direct flight.

Range and Habitat

Green Kingfisher: Uncommon and local in southern Texas; rare to casual in southeastern Arizona; has recently begun nesting locally in south Arizona, spreading north from Mexico. Preferred habitats include small, clear streams, quiet pools, and backwaters.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"tick-tick", "cheep"

Interesting Facts

 The Green Kingfisher was first described in 1788 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin, a German naturalist, botanist and entomologist.

 They are smaller than other kingfishers and lack blue-gray coloration.

 A group of green kingfishers are collectively known as a "clique" and a "concentration" of kingfishers.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Irina Rud-Volga

Splitbar
Range Map for Green Kingfisher

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Family
Species Chloroceryle americana
Length7.5 - 8.75 Inches
Wingspan12 Inches

Green Kingfisher

Green Kingfisher: Small kingfisher, dark green head, back, and wings, white chin, collar, rufous breast band, white belly with black spots. Black bill is long and straight. Legs and feet are gray. Feeds mostly on small fish taken in dives and aquatic insects, amphibians. Direct flight.

● Song: "tick-tick", "cheep"

● Foraging & Feeding: Green Kingfisher: Hunts from low perches along the edge of the water or from rocks in the water. Feeds primarily on small fish, insects, and amphibians taken by plunge diving.

● Breeding & nesting: Green Kingfisher: Three to six white eggs are laid in a nest made of grass and built in a burrow 2 to 3 feet deep, usually in a stream bank. Incubation ranges from 19 to 21 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Green Kingfisher: Belted and Ringed kingfishers are larger with blue-gray upperparts and head.

Flight Pattern

Rapid buzzing direct flight.
Green Kingfisher Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Green Kingfisher: Uncommon and local in southern Texas; rare to casual in southeastern Arizona; has recently begun nesting locally in south Arizona, spreading north from Mexico. Preferred habitats include small, clear streams, quiet pools, and backwaters.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationUncommon and local in southern Texas, Rare to casual in southeastern Arizona
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight1.3 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
BellyX
The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
ChinX
The area of the face just below the bill.
CollarX
Similar to the upper part of the human neck, located at the back of the crown.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX