Birds Guide

River Kingfishers
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae
Genera
Alcedo Ceyx Ispidina

The river kingfishers or Alcedinidae, are one of the three families of bird in the kingfisher group.

The family is widespread through Africa, through east and south Asia as far as Australia, with one species, the River Kingfisher or European Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) also appearing in Europe and northern Asia. The origin of the family is thought to have been in Asia.

The taxonomy of the family is uncertain at present: it includes 22 to 24 species in 2 to 4 genera. The uncertaintity arises from two small African species. The Dwarf Kingfisher is sometimes placed in the monospecific genus Myioceyx, and sometimes with the Pygmy Kingfishers in Ispidina. However, molecular analysis (Moyle, 2006) suggests that the Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher is most closely related to the Malachite Kingfisher, and that the present arrangement into Alcedo and Ceyx needs to be reviewed as it seems not to reflect the actual relationships (for example, the Azure Kingfisher is closer to Ceyx erithacus).

Species list:

• Blyth's Kingfisher, Alcedo hercules
  European Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis
  Half-collared Kingfisher, Alcedo semitorquata
  Shining-blue Kingfisher, Alcedo quadribrachys
  Blue-eared Kingfisher, Alcedo meninting
  Azure Kingfisher, Alcedo azurea
  Bismarck Kingfisher, Alcedo websteri
  Blue-banded Kingfisher, Alcedo euryzona
  Indigo-banded Kingfisher, Alcedo cyanopecta
  Silvery Kingfisher, Alcedo argentata
  Malachite Kingfisher, Alcedo cristata
  Madagascar Malachite Kingfisher, Alcedo vintsioides
  White-bellied Kingfisher, Alcedo leucogaster
  Small Blue Kingfisher, Alcedo coerulescens
  Little Kingfisher, Alcedo pusilla
  Príncipe Kingfisher, Alcedo nais
  São Tomé Kingfisher, Alcedo thomensis
  Black-backed Kingfisher, Ceyx erithacus
  Philippine Kingfisher, Ceyx melanurus
  Sulawesi Kingfisher, Ceyx fallax
  Rufous-backed Kingfisher, Ceyx rufidorsa
  Variable Kingfisher, Ceyx lepidus
  Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher, Ispidina madagascariensis
  African Pygmy Kingfisher, Ispidina picta
  Dwarf Kingfisher, Ispidina lecontei

References

• Moyle, Robert G. (2006): A Molecular Phylogeny of Kingfishers (Alcedinidae) With Insights into Early Biogeographic History. Auk 123(2): 487–499. HTML fulltext (without images)

External links

• Kingfisher videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• Kingfisher sounds in the xeno-canto collection