Rusty-capped kingfisher

The rusty-capped kingfisher or Palau kingfisher (Todiramphus pelewensis) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to Palau.[2] The natural habitat of this species is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Micronesian kingfisher.

Rusty-capped kingfisher
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Alcedinidae
Subfamily:	Halcyoninae
Genus:	Todiramphus
Species:	T. pelewensis
Binomial name
Todiramphus pelewensis (Wiglesworth, 1891)

This is a brilliantly colored, medium-sized kingfisher. Adults are characterized by white underparts with long black eyestripes, while juveniles are cinnamon below. They have large laterally-flattened bills and dark legs. Kingfishers defend permanent territories as breeding pairs and family groups. Both sexes care for young, and some offspring remain with parents for extended periods.[3]

Little has been published about the status of rusty-capped kingfisher populations, although the US Fish and Wildlife Service has bird survey data for the region.[4][5]

References

1. BirdLife International (2015). "Todiramphus pelewensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)old-form url
2. "Species factsheet: Todiramphus pelewensis". www.birdlife.org. BirdLife International. 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
3. Kesler, Dylan C. (2006). Population demography, resource use, and movement in cooperatively breeding Micronesian Kingfishers (Doctorate thesis). Oregon State University. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
4. Kesler, Dylan C.; Haig, Susan M. (May 2007). "Conservation biology for suites of species: Demographic modeling for Pacific island kingfishers". Biological Conservation. 136 (4): 520–530. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2006.12.023 – via University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
5. Kesler, Dylan C.; Haig, Susan M. (May 2007). "Multiscale Habitat Use and Selection in Cooperatively Breeding Micronesian Kingfishers". Journal of Wildlife Management. 71 (3): 765–772. doi:10.2193/2006-011. ISSN 0022-541X.

Further reading

• Fry, C.H., K. Fry, A. Harris. 1992. Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, and Rollers. Princeton University Press. Princeton, NJ.
• Haig, S.M., J.D. Ballou, and N.J. Casna. 1995. Genetic identification of kin in Micronesian Kingfishers. Journal of Heredity 86: 423–431.
• Pratt, H.D., P.L. Bruner, and D.G. Berrett. 1987. The Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press. Princeton, NJ.
• Kesler, D.C., and S.M. Haig. 2007. "Territoriality, prospecting, and dispersal in cooperatively breeding Micronesian Kingfishers." Auk 124:381-395.
• Kesler, D.C., and S. M. Haig. 2005. "Microclimate and nest site selection in Micronesian kingfishers." Pacific Science 59:499-508.