Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)

Blue-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon malimbica) - HBW 6, p. 211

French: Martin-chasseur à poitrine bleue German: Zügelliest Spanish: Alción Pechiazul
Other common names: Black-winged Kingfisher

Taxonomy: Alcedo Malimbica Shaw, 1811, Malimba, Zaire.
Population from Senegal, described as race fortis, now included in torquata; proposed race prenticei, from S Sudan, NE Zaire and Uganda, inseparable from nominate. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

torquata Swainson, 1837 - Senegal E to SW Mali and S to N Guinea.
forbesi Sharpe, 1892 - Sierra Leone E to S Nigeria, Bioko I (Fernando Póo) and SW Cameroon.
dryas Hartlaub, 1854 - Príncipe I and, at least formerly, São Tomé I.
malimbica (Shaw, 1811) - S Cameroon E to SW Sudan, W Uganda and NW Tanzania, and S to N Angola and NW Zambia; probably this race in SW Ethiopia.

Least Concern

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Sounds

3 recordings

calls. Locality Ankasa-Nini National Park, Western Region, Ghana (ssp forbesi)
herve jacob 7 April 2012 1 year ago 4
Song with some call of a second bird. Locality Bobiri Forest Reserve, Ashanti Region, Ghana (ssp forbesi)
herve jacob 26 March 2012 1 year ago 3.5
Calls by one bird. Locality San Diego Zoo, San Diego, San Diego County, California, USA (United States)
Josep del Hoyo 19 June 2012 34 weeks ago 3