Shovel-billed kookaburra

The shovel-billed kookaburra (Clytoceyx rex), also known as the shovel-billed kingfisher, is a large, approximately 33 cm (13 in) long, dark brown tree kingfisher with a heavy, short and broad bill that is unique among the kingfishers. It has a dark head with rufous stripe behind eye, a white throat, rufous neck collar and underparts, bright blue rump, brown iris, brownish-black bill with paler mandible (entire bill often appears brownish due to earth) and pale feet. Both sexes are similar in appearance, but are easily recognized from the colour of the tail. The male has a dark bluish tail while female's is rufous. The juvenile has a female-like plumage with scale-patterned feathers.[2]

Shovel-billed kookaburra
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Subfamily: Halcyoninae
Genus: Clytoceyx
Sharpe, 1880
Species:
C. rex
Binomial name
Clytoceyx rex
Sharpe, 1880

The sole representative of the genus Clytoceyx, the shovel-billed kookaburra is endemic to New Guinea. No subspecies are recognised because the differences in plumage between the races imperator and septentrionalis is small.[3] It primarily occurs in hill forests, but has been recorded from sea-level up to an altitude of 2400 m (7850 ft).[1] It finds its food in mud or on moist ground. The diet consists mainly of earthworms, snails, beetles, lizards and insects. It is inconspicuous and infrequently seen. It is likely that it is partially crepuscular.[2]

A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2017 found that the shovel-billed kookaburra nested with the kookaburras in the genus Dacelo.[4]

Widespread but uncommon throughout a large part of New Guinea, the shovel-billed kookaburra has a wide range and no special threats have been identified, so the bird is evaluated as being of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Clytoceyx rex". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. P. F. Woodall (2020). "Shovel-billed kookaburra". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  3. Bruce M. Beehler; Thane K. Pratt (2016). Birds of New Guinea: Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics. Princeton University Press. pp. 226–227. ISBN 978-1-4008-8071-3.
  4. Andersen, M.J.; McCullough, J.M.; Mauck III, W.M.; Smith, B.T.; Moyle, R.G. (2017). "A phylogeny of kingfishers reveals an Indomalayan origin and elevated rates of diversification on oceanic islands". Journal of Biogeography: 1–13. doi:10.1111/jbi.13139. "Early View" version
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