Azure Kingfisher

Scientific Names: Ceyx azureus

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Inland wetlands and forested areas near water in eastern and northern Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea.

Field Notes: Small kingfisher with stubby tail and long bill. Bright blue head and back, orange breast. Unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes: Wee kingfisher seen in Chiltern, Australia.

Laughing Kookaburra

Scientific Name: Dacelo novaeguineae

Population Estimate: 65M

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia where found in forest and wooded waterways in the east, southwest, and Tasmania. 

Field Notes: Large white kingfisher with brown crown patch, eye patch, wings and tail. The most distinctive feature is the "laughing" call. 

Personal Notes: Seen initially at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, Australia where we witnessed a fierce fight between two birds with a third watching (bottom photo). 

Sacred Kingfisher

Scientific Name: Todiramphus sanctus

Population Estimate: 60M

Range / Habitat: Year-round preferring forested areas near water in Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and several Pacific Islands.

Field Notes: Usually send individually, perched on power line or tree near water. The only Kingfisher in New Zealand, so unmistakable: large bill, blue head and wings, white underparts, thick black band through eye. 

Personal Notes: Known just as Kingfisher in New Zealand. Maori name Kotare.

Amazon Kingfisher

Scientific Name: Chloroceryle amazona

Population Estimate: 500K to 5M

Range / Habitat: Prefers inland wetlands, particularly rivers, streams and creeks, throughout southern Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Field Notes: Large, green kingfisher without white in wings. Male has rufous bib and female has green band across breast though with prominent central clearing. Similar coloration, but considerably larger, than Green Kingfisher, whose female lacks the central white clearing on breast and who has some white in the wings in both sexes.

Personal Notes: Seen on Lake Arenal, Costa Rica.

Keel-billed Motmot

Scientific Name: Electron carinatum

Population Estimate: 2.5-10K, Vulnerable status

Range / Habitat: Tropical lowland and montane moist forest in a small number of localities on the Caribbean slope of south Mexico, south Belize, Guatemala, north and central Honduras, north-central Nicaragua, and north-central Costa Rica

Field Notes: Small olive-coloured motmot, rather dull for the species except for turquoise brow and tuft below bill. As with all motmots, nests in holes in the ground.

Personal Notes: Seen at Arenal Hanging Gardens.

Broad-billed Motmot

Scientific Name: Electron platyrhynchum

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Found in tropical lowland moist forest in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru.

Field Notes: Large motmot with rufous head and neck. Black face mask and central chest spots. Green / turquoise chest, wings and tail. Turquoise tuft below bill. Rufous Motmot larger with extensive rufous on belly.

Personal Notes: Seen at Arenal Hanging Bridges

Rufous Motmot

Scientific Name: Baryphthengus martii

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Found in tropical lowland moist forest from from Central America down through southwestern Brazil.

Field Notes: Large motmot with rufous head, neck, chest. Black face mask and central chest spot. Green wings and tail. Broad-billed Motmot smaller with rufous restricted to head and neck and turquoise tuft below bill.

Personal Notes: Seen at Arenal Hanging Bridges

Blue-breasted Kingfisher

Scientific Name: Halcyon malimbica

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Year-round in wet, forested regions of western African.

Field Notes: Large kingfisher, unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes: Seen at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Ringed Kingfisher

Scientific Name: Megaceryle torquata

Population Estimate: 20M

Range / Habitat: Found in wooded wetlands on both slopes of Mexico through Central America and throughout all of South America.

Field Notes: Large, noisy and conspicuous blue kingfisher. Larger than Belted Kingfisher, with rufous extending to entire belly.

Personal Notes: Seen at Aquacate, Belize and again on Arenal Lake, Costa Rica.

Green Kingfisher

Scientific Name: Chloroceryle americana

Population Estimate: 20M

Range / Habitat: Inland wetlands, particularly by running water, throughout southwestern US, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Field Notes: Small, green kingfisher with white in wings. Male with rufous bib and green below. Female with two green breast bands. Amazon Kingfisher with similar coloring but much larger and lacking white in wings.

Personal Notes: Seen along the Rio Cuale in Puerto Vallarta.

Belted Kingfisher

Scientific Name: Megaceryle alcyon

Population Estimate: 2M, Least Concern status

Range: Year-round on rivers and shorelines throughout most of the US. Winters down through Mexico and Central America. Summers up into Canada and Alaska.

Field Notes: Medium-sized bird with oversized head and bill. Shaggy blue crest and back. Both males and females have a blue "belt" around their neck, but females also have a rufous belly. Ringed Kingfisher, found throughout Mexico, Central and South America, is larger and more conspicuous with rufous extending to entire belly.

Personal Notes: The bottom photo was one of our favourite spring finds at The Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls, SD in late April, 2014. 

Turquiose-browed Motmot

Scientific Name: Eumomota superciliosa

Order: Coraciiformes

Population Estimate: 50K to 500K

Location of Sighting: Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Date of Sighting: December, 2009

Notes: What a wonderful bird to spot in the trees (both in Atchun Chen, MX and on the road between Monteverde and the Pacific Coast of CR)! This motmot is much less common than the Blue-Crowned Motmot. In addition, the Turquoise-browed Motmot is small, has long bare tail shafts, and black throat marking.

Blue-diademed Motmot

Scientific Name: Momotus momota

Population Estimate: 5M-50M

Range / Habitat: From southeastern Mexico, through Central America, into Argentina in South America. Favors subtropical and tropical lowland and montane moist forests.

Field Notes: Unique and dramatic-looking bird with vibrant plumage and racket-tipped tail (best seen in bottom photo). They nest in cave and limestone crevices. Will often sit quietly for long periods in the forest so can be difficult to locate. Turquoise-browed Motmot with long bare tail shafts, bright turquoise brow, rufous back, lack of black throat patch. Keel-billed Motmot with brighter turquoise brow, rufous forehead, larger black chest spot.

Personal Notes: One of our favorite neotropical birds. Mayan lore has it that leaf-cutter ants removed a portion of the motmot's tail when it fell asleep in their path.

Common Kingfisher

 

Scientific Name: Alcedo atthis

Population Estimate: 600K

Range / Habitat: The Common Kingfisher is widely distributed over Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Field Notes:This species has the typical short-tailed, dumpy-bodied large-headed and long-billed kingfisher shape.Their brilliant blue upperparts, deep red underparts, white face patches and unique shape make Kingfishers impossible to misidentify.

Personal Notes: