Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis) - HBW 6, p. 205
French: Martin-chasseur gurial
German: Storchschnabelliest
Spanish: Alción Picocigüeña
Other common names: Brown-headed Stork-billed Kingfisher
Taxonomy: Alcedo capensis Linnaeus, 1766, Cape of Good Hope; error = Chandernagor, West Bengal.
Genus sometimes merged into Halcyon; in past, genus name given as Ramphalcyon, but Pelargopsis has priority. Forms a superspecies with P. melanorhyncha. Mainland races intergrade to some extent; races smithi, nesoeca and isoptera of doubtful validity. Somewhat confused nomenclature: nominate race previously believed to refer to populations of Java; under that arrangement, Indian mainland birds were placed in race gurial; birds of Borneo formerly separated as either race innominata or race javana, with latter name at one sta.. View all taxonomy...
Taxonomy: Alcedo capensis Linnaeus, 1766, Cape of Good Hope; error = Chandernagor, West Bengal.
Genus sometimes merged into Halcyon; in past, genus name given as Ramphalcyon, but Pelargopsis has priority. Forms a superspecies with P. melanorhyncha. Mainland races intergrade to some extent; races smithi, nesoeca and isoptera of doubtful validity. Somewhat confused nomenclature: nominate race previously believed to refer to populations of Java; under that arrangement, Indian mainland birds were placed in race gurial; birds of Borneo formerly separated as either race innominata or race javana, with latter name at one stage erroneously thought to refer not to Javan birds but to those of Borneo. Fifteen subspecies currently recognized.
Genus sometimes merged into Halcyon; in past, genus name given as Ramphalcyon, but Pelargopsis has priority. Forms a superspecies with P. melanorhyncha. Mainland races intergrade to some extent; races smithi, nesoeca and isoptera of doubtful validity. Somewhat confused nomenclature: nominate race previously believed to refer to populations of Java; under that arrangement, Indian mainland birds were placed in race gurial; birds of Borneo formerly separated as either race innominata or race javana, with latter name at one stage erroneously thought to refer not to Javan birds but to those of Borneo. Fifteen subspecies currently recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- capensis (Linn aeus, 1766) - Indian Subcontinent (except W and extreme N) S to Sri Lanka.
- osmastoni (Stuart Baker, 1934) - Andaman Is.
- intermedia Hume, 1874 - Nicobar Is.
- capensis (Linn aeus, 1766) - Indian Subcontinent (except W and extreme N) S to Sri Lanka.
- osmastoni (Stuart Baker, 1934) - Andaman Is.
- intermedia Hume, 1874 - Nicobar Is.
- burmanica Sharpe, 1870 - Myanmar, Thailand and Indochina S to about Isthmus of Kra in Malay Peninsula.
- malaccensis Sharpe, 1870 - from Isthmus of Kra S to Riau and Lingga Archipelagos.
- cyanopteryx (Oberholser, 1909) - Sumatra, Bangka, Belitung and Borneo.
- simalurensis Richmond, 1903 - Simeulue I, off NW Sumatra.
- sodalis Richmond, 1903 - Banyak Is, off NW Sumatra.
- nesoeca (Oberholser, 1909) - Nias I and Batu Is, off W Sumatra.
- isoptera (Oberholser, 1909) - Mentawai Is, off W Sumatra.
- javana (Boddaert, 1783) - Java.
- floresiana Sharpe, 1870 - Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa and Flores.
- gouldi Sharpe, 1870 - N & W Philippines.
- smithi (Mearns, 1909) - C & S Philippines.
- gigantea Walden, 1874 - Sulu Archipelago (S Philippines).
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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Close up from behind of perched bird Locality Flores, Lesser Sundas (ssp floresiana)
mark sutton 24 June 2009 3 years ago 38 sec 4.8 -
A bird showing stressed beheviour and flying away Locality Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal (ssp nigrocapitatum)
John Gregory 30 November 1999 5 years ago 24 sec 4.8 -
A bird perched motionless on a branch Locality Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal (ssp capensis)
Stefan Behrens 2002 6 years ago 39 sec 4.6 -
A bird on a perch, looking down Locality Borneo (ssp cyanopteryx)
John Gregory 31 July 2004 5 years ago 20 sec 4.3 -
A bird perched in a tree, looking around. Locality Pulau Ubin, Singapore (ssp malaccensis)
Josep del Hoyo 31 October 2010 2 years ago 24 sec 3.8 -
2 shots, one calling slowly Locality Kumarakom, Kerala, India
Juan Sanabria 1 August 2008 4 years ago 28 sec 3.7
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An individual perched on a reed, with a crab in its beak
Locality Ujung Kulon National Park, Banten Province, Java (Indonesia) (ssp javana)
Alain Compost 33 weeks ago 4.8 -
Among the largest Kingfisher in Malaysia. Louds calls
Locality Peninsular Malaysia
Khong Tuck Khoon 15 April 2010 3 years ago 4.3 -
A dorsal view
Locality Masinagudi, The Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India
vasanthan.p.j 27 April 2013 4 days ago ADDED LAST WEEK 4 -
Dorsal view of a bird perched on a branch.
Locality Kinabatangan River, Sabah (Malaysia), Borneo (ssp cyanopteryx)
James Eaton 1 June 2006 10 weeks ago 4 -
Perched bird in early morning sunlight
Locality Flores, Lesser Sundas (ssp floresiana)
mark sutton 1 June 2009 3 years ago 3.9 -
Stork-billed Kingfisher at Kinabatangan River
Locality Sukau, Sabah (Malaysia), Borneo
Gukelberger 17 July 2011 26 weeks ago 3.8
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Alarm calls Locality Kerala, India
(ssp capensis)
Stuart Fisher 5 February 2006 3 years ago 4 -
A bird singing Locality Kumarakom, Kerala, India
(ssp capensis)
Stuart Fisher 10 February 2006 3 years ago 2
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