Lilac kingfisher
| Lilac kingfisher | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Coraciiformes |
| Family: | Alcedinidae |
| Subfamily: | Halcyoninae |
| Genus: |
Cittura Kaup, 1848 |
| Species: | C. cyanotis |
| Binomial name | |
|
Cittura cyanotis (Temminck, 1824) |
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The lilac kingfisher or Celebes flat-billed kingfisher (Cittura cyanotis) is a resident breeding bird in the lowlands of the Indonesia island of Sulawesi and the neighbouring Sangihe and Talaud Islands. It is the only member of the genus Cittura.
The first formal description of the lilac kingfisher was by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824 under the binomial name Dacelo cyanotis. The genus Cittura was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1848. The genus name is from classical Greek kitta for "magpie" and oura for "tail". The specific epithet cyanotis is from classical Greek kuanos for "dark blue" and -ōtis" for "eared".
There are two subspecies:
The lilac kingfisher is 28 cm (11 in) long. It has the typical kingfisher shape, with a short tail and long bill. The adult male of the nominate race, C. c. cyanotis, has a brown crown and back and rufous rump and tail. It has a blue eye mask, separated from the crown by a white line, and a pale lilac ruff of long stiffened ear covert feathers. The underparts are white and the wings are blue, separated by a white line from the brown back. The red bill is large and flattened. In flight, the underwings are white with a black "wrist" patch.
The female has a black, rather than blue, mask and upperwing coverts, and her supercilium is black, spotted with white. The juvenile resembles the adult, but is duller and browner with a grey-brown bill. The race C. c. sanghirensis is substantially larger and longer-billed than the nominate race. It has brighter, more rufous upperparts, a black forehead and mask, stiff, bright lilac ear coverts and upper breast, and a white chin.
The call of this large tree kingfisher is a rapid ku-ku-ku-ku.
The lilac kingfisher is unlikely to be confused with any other kingfishers in its range.
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Wikipedia