Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)

Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) - HBW 6, p. 243

French: Martin-pêcheur vert German: Grünfischer Spanish: Martín Pescador Verde

Taxonomy: Alcedo americana J. F. Gmelin, 1788, Cayenne.
Closely related to C. amazona. Other described races are isthmica (Honduras to E Panama, Pearl Is and N Colombia), hellmayri (W Colombia), ecuadorensis (Ecuador) and croteta (Trinidad and Tobago), but all are poorly distinguished. Five subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • hachisukai Laubmann, 1942 - extreme S Arizona, SW New Mexico and WC Texas to NW Mexico.
  • septentrionalis (Sharpe, 1892) - SC Texas S to Colombia and W Venezuela.
  • cabanisii (Tschudi, 1846) - W Colombia and W Ecuador S on W of Andes to N Chile.

     See all 5 subspecies
  • hachisukai Laubmann, 1942 - extreme S Arizona, SW New Mexico and WC Texas to NW Mexico.
  • septentrionalis (Sharpe, 1892) - SC Texas S to Colombia and W Venezuela.
  • cabanisii (Tschudi, 1846) - W Colombia and W Ecuador S on W of Andes to N Chile.
  • americana (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) - E of Andes from Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago S to NE Bolivia and across N Brazil (Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Bahia).
  • mathewsii Laubmann, 1927 - S Brazil and S Bolivia to N Argentina (Mendoza, N Buenos Aires).