Birds and Birding's Guide to:

Watching THE ROLLER-LIKE BIRDS

THE ROLLERS AND THEIR ALLIES

THE KINGFISHERS

Wood Kingfishers

Although not possessing any very marked characteristics beyond a beautiful plumage, it will hardly do to pass over the Wood Kingfishers or Kinghunters (Halcyon), of which over seventy species are now recognized, these being widely spread over southern Asia, the whole of Africa and the Australian and Indian regions, and Pacific islands. They are distinguished by having rather short, rounded wings and a compressed bill which has a more or less distinct groove along the sides. Many of them do not frequent streams or feed upon fish, but are found often at a great distance from water in the forests, where they feed upon insects, crustaceans, small reptiles, etc., and whence their name of Kinghunters to distinguish them from the piscivorous Kingfishers.

Omitting further mention of these and passing over two or three small allied genera, we come to the final genus (Tanysiptera), which comprises the splendid Long-tail or Racket-tailed Kingfishers, of which over twenty species are recognized ranging over the Moluccas, the Papuan Islands, and portions of northern Australia. The principal character of this genus is the tail of ten feathers, of which the central pair are greatly elongated,— indeed, often extending the length of the body, and terminating in spatulate or racket-shaped expansions.

Many of them are very rare birds and but seldom obtained, and Mr. Wallace, the great traveler-naturalist who discovered several species, states that he found them in forests. He also secured specimens sleeping in cavities of the rocky banks of streams; but little is known of their habits. All are extremely beautiful birds, to show which we may describe the Red-breasted Kingfisher (T. nympha) of the interior of northwestern New Guinea.

The head is a rich ultramarine, inclining to cobalt on the nape; ear-coverts and upper part of the back and scapulars jet-black; lower part of back, rump, and upper tail-coverts rich vermilion; wing-coverts black edged with ultramarine; tail-feathers deep blue, the exterior ones tipped with white, the two middle ones with rich blue, the spatula long and white with a faint blush of rose; entire under surface rich vermilion; bill and feet, sealing-wax red; eyes black; the total length about eleven inches. Much larger and of quite different coloration is the Morty Island Kingfisher (T. doris), which, in addition to the brilliant cobalt head, blue-black shoulders, and black wings, has the upper part of the head pure white, the lower back white edged with light blue, and the tail-feathers white margined with blue, the central pair blue throughout and the entire under surface white; the bill and feet are bright red.

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