Category: Coraciiformes

THE GREEN KINGFISHER

Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) Science Article 1 abstract Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) inhabits watercourses and shores from southern Texas and Arizona to the northern tributaries of Hudson’s La Plata, from the brackish water of mangrove-fringed lagoons to mountain streams 7000 feet above the sea. The two extremes of habitat are the exception, however; it prefers […]

A Case of Bigamy in the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)

European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) Science Article 1 abstract This example of bigamy is interesting, because it does not fit with current hypotheses about the adaptive value of polygyny. Orians (1969) argued that females may sometimes gain by being the second female on a good territory rather than a lone female on a poor territory, and […]

Helping at the nest in European Bee-eaters: Who helps and why?

European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) Science Article 6 abstract Avian cooperative breeding has been regarded as an ideal system in which to investigate the role of kin selection in the evolution of altruistic behaviour (Brown 1987). However, many studies of helping at the nest have been carried out on communally breeding species in which the costs […]

Behavior and energy budgets of Belted Kingfishers in winter

Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) Science Article 2 abstract I recorded behaviors and estimated energy intake and expenditures of 16 Belted Kingfishers (Ceryle alcyon) during January and February 1994. Each bird was watched for an entire day to examine the relationships among temperature, time of day, and foraging behavior. Estimates of total daily energy intake and […]

Territory size in Megaceryle alcyon along a stream habitat

Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) Science Article 1 abstract Belted Kingfishers (Megaceryle alcyon) defend both breeding and nonbreeding territories. The small nonbreeding territories serve as feeding territories, and their size is inversely correlated to food abundance. In the breeding season, when nest sites are a limiting resource, territory size does not significantly correlate with food abundance. […]

THE INFLUENCE OF FOOD ON REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGIES IN A MONOGAMOUS KINGFISHER (CHLOROCERYLE AMAZONA)

Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona) Science Article 1 abstract We examined the influence of food accessibility on the reproductive behavior of the Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona) in Panama. Both sexes invested equally in nest building, but females incubated the eggs more often than males. Foraging performance (time elapsed between successful dives) differed between mates because they […]

Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus coeruliceps)

[order] CORACIIFORMES | [family] Momotidae | [latin] Momotus coeruliceps | [UK] Blue-crowned Motmot | [FR] Motmot houtou | [DE] Blauscheitel-Motmot | [ES] Momoto Comun | [NL] Blauwkapmotmot Subspecies Monotypic species Physical charateristics Green upperparts, green or rufous underparts depending on subspecies (very variable how dark), black central spot on upper breast, blue crown, black eyemask […]

Green-and-rufous Kingfisher (Chloroceryle inda)

[order] CORACIIFORMES | [family] Alcedinidae | [latin] Chloroceryle inda | [UK] Green-and-rufous Kingfisher | [FR] Alcyon bicolore | [DE] Zweifarben-Fischer | [ES] Martin Pescador Verdirrufo | [NL] Groenbruine IJsvogel Subspecies Monotypic species Physical charateristics The adult male has glossy green upperparts, with white spotting on the wings, and a rufous nape and underparts. The female […]