Green Kingfisher

Chloroceryle americanaOrder: CORACIIFORMES Family: Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)

Codes: Common Name: GKIN Scientific Name: CHLAME ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178112

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

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

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

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.

Field Guide to Birds of North America