Water Kingfisher
Encyclopedia
The water kingfishers or Cerylidae are one of the three families
of kingfisher
s, and are also known as the cerylid kingfishers. All six American
species are in this family.
These are all specialist fish-eating species, unlike many representatives of the other two families, and it is likely that they are all descended from fish-eating kingfishers which founded populations in the New World
. It was believed that the entire group evolved in the Americas, but this seems not to be true. The original ancestor possibly evolved in Africa
- at any rate in the Old World - and the Chloroceryle species are the youngest ones.
Not longer than 5 million years ago - possibly as recently as 2.9 million years ago -, an Old World giant kingfisher became the ancestor of the Belted
and Ringed Kingfisher
s, and later, another species related to the Pied Kingfisher
became the ancestor of the Chloroceryle green kingfishers after colonizing the Americas. While the evolutionary history of the Water Kingfishers in regard to their internal relationships is well resolved, it is not entirely clear whether they evolved from river kingfishers or tree kingfisher
s, and whether they immigrated across the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean (though the former seems more likely).
There are 9 water kingfisher species in three genera:
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s, and are also known as the cerylid kingfishers. All six American
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
species are in this family.
These are all specialist fish-eating species, unlike many representatives of the other two families, and it is likely that they are all descended from fish-eating kingfishers which founded populations in the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. It was believed that the entire group evolved in the Americas, but this seems not to be true. The original ancestor possibly evolved in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
- at any rate in the Old World - and the Chloroceryle species are the youngest ones.
Not longer than 5 million years ago - possibly as recently as 2.9 million years ago -, an Old World giant kingfisher became the ancestor of the Belted
Belted Kingfisher
The Belted Kingfisher is a large, conspicuous water kingfisher, the only member of that group commonly found in the northern United States and Canada. It is depicted on the 1986 series Canadian $5 note. All kingfishers were formerly placed in one family, Alcedinidae, but recent research suggests...
and Ringed Kingfisher
Ringed Kingfisher
The Ringed Kingfisher is a large, conspicuous and noisy kingfisher, commonly found along the lower Rio Grande River valley in southeasternmost Texas in the United States through Central America to Tierra del Fuego in South America....
s, and later, another species related to the Pied Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
The Pied Kingfisher is a water kingfisher and is found widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Their black and white plumage, crest and the habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish makes it distinctive. Males have a double band across the breast while females have a...
became the ancestor of the Chloroceryle green kingfishers after colonizing the Americas. While the evolutionary history of the Water Kingfishers in regard to their internal relationships is well resolved, it is not entirely clear whether they evolved from river kingfishers or tree kingfisher
Tree kingfisher
The tree kingfishers or wood kingfishers, family Halcyonidae, are the most numerous of the three families of birds in the kingfisher group, with between 56 and 61 species in around 12 genera, including several species of kookaburras. The family appears to have arisen in Indochina and the Maritime...
s, and whether they immigrated across the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean (though the former seems more likely).
There are 9 water kingfisher species in three genera:
- The four large crested kingfishers, MegaceryleMegaceryleMegaceryle is a genus of very large kingfishers. It comprises four species:* Giant Kingfisher, Megaceryle maxima* Crested Kingfisher, Megaceryle lugubris* Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon* Ringed Kingfisher, Megaceryle torquata...
, have a wide distribution in AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and AmericaAmericasThe Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. The Belted KingfisherBelted KingfisherThe Belted Kingfisher is a large, conspicuous water kingfisher, the only member of that group commonly found in the northern United States and Canada. It is depicted on the 1986 series Canadian $5 note. All kingfishers were formerly placed in one family, Alcedinidae, but recent research suggests...
, M. alcyon, is the only kingfisher that is widespread in North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, though M. torquata may be found as far north as TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.- Giant KingfisherGiant KingfisherThe Giant Kingfisher is the largest kingfisher in Africa, where it is a resident breeding bird over most of the continent south of the Sahara Desert other than the arid southwest....
(Megaceryle maxima) - Crested KingfisherCrested KingfisherThe Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris is resident of the Himalayas and foothills of Northern India, Bangladesh, northern Indochina, Southeast Asia and Japan. It is a very large black and white kingfisher with evenly barred wings and tail. It lacks a supercilium and has a spotted breast, which...
(Megaceryle lugubris) - Belted KingfisherBelted KingfisherThe Belted Kingfisher is a large, conspicuous water kingfisher, the only member of that group commonly found in the northern United States and Canada. It is depicted on the 1986 series Canadian $5 note. All kingfishers were formerly placed in one family, Alcedinidae, but recent research suggests...
(Megaceryle alcyon) - Ringed KingfisherRinged KingfisherThe Ringed Kingfisher is a large, conspicuous and noisy kingfisher, commonly found along the lower Rio Grande River valley in southeasternmost Texas in the United States through Central America to Tierra del Fuego in South America....
(Megaceryle torquata)
- Giant Kingfisher
- The Pied KingfisherPied KingfisherThe Pied Kingfisher is a water kingfisher and is found widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Their black and white plumage, crest and the habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish makes it distinctive. Males have a double band across the breast while females have a...
(Ceryle rudis), the only member of Ceryle, is widespread in the tropical regions of the Old WorldOld WorldThe Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
.
- The four American green kingfisherAmerican green kingfisherThe American green kingfishers are the Chloroceryle genus of kingfishers, which are native to tropical Central and South America, with one species extending north to south Texas.They comprise four species:...
s (Chloroceryle) of tropical America.- Amazon KingfisherAmazon KingfisherThe Amazon Kingfisher, Chloroceryle amazona, is a resident breeding bird in the lowlands of the American tropics from southern Mexico south through Central America to northern Argentina, with at least one bird having strayed north to Texas. Records from Trinidad are thought to be erroneous.This...
(Chloroceryle amazona) - Green KingfisherGreen KingfisherThe Green Kingfisher, Chloroceryle americana, is a resident breeding bird which occurs from southern Texas in the USA south through Central and South Americal to central Argentina....
(Chloroceryle americana) - Green-and-rufous KingfisherGreen-and-rufous KingfisherThe Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, Chloroceryle inda, is a resident breeding bird in the lowlands of the American tropics from southeastern Nicaragua south to southern Brazil.-Description:...
(Chloroceryle inda) - American Pygmy KingfisherAmerican Pygmy KingfisherThe American Pygmy Kingfisher, Chloroceryle aenea, is a resident breeding bird which occurs in the American tropics from southern Mexico south through Central America to western Ecuador, and then around the northern Andes cordillera in the east to central Bolivia and central Brazil...
(Chloroceryle aenea)
- Amazon Kingfisher
External links
- Water Kingfisher videos on the Internet Bird Collection