Bird of the day
Green-and-rufous kingfisher
Chloroceryle inda
The green-and-rufous kingfisher (Chloroceryle inda) is a species of "water kingfisher" in subfamily Cerylinae of family Alcedinidae. It is found in the American tropics from Nicaragua to Panama and in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.
The green-and-rufous kingfisher is about 24 cm (9.4 in) long. Males weigh 40 to 60 g (1.4 to 2.1 oz) and females 53 to 62 g (1.9 to 2.2 oz). It has the typical kingfisher shape, with a somewhat shaggy crest and a long heavy bill. The bill is black with some pale yellow at the base of the mandible and its legs and feet are pinkish to dark gray. The two species have almost identical plumage, and the differences are similar to the variation present in each subspecies. Adult males have glossy green upperparts with a pale yellowish collar. Their upperwing coverts have white tips and their secondaries, tertials, and tail have small white spots. Their chin is yellow-buff, their throat buffy rufous, and the rest of their underparts are a rich dark rufous. Adult females are similar with the addition of a wide band of green with white speckles across their upper breast and more pale spotting on their upperparts. Juveniles resemble adult females with even heavier spotting on the upperparts; both sexes have a green breastband though the male's is thin.
Aliases
Chloroceryle inda
Range
Data retrieved on October 15, 2025 at 5:10 AM