Braunreads

Braunreads
Braunliest ( Halcyon smyrnensis ) in Haryana , India
Systematics
Order : Rockers (Coraciiformes) Family : Kingfishers (Alcedinidae) Subfamily : Lieste (Halcyoninae) Genre : Halcyon Type : Braunreads
Scientific name
Halcyon smyrnensis
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The Braunliest ( Halcyon smyrnensis ) is a kingfisher that is widespread from Turkey to the Philippines .

features

The 26 to 39 cm long Braunliest is colored bright blue on the back, tail and wings. The plumage is chestnut brown on the shoulders and flanks, on the head and lower abdomen. The throat and chest are white. The beak and legs are coral red. In flight, the sky-blue carpal patch shines above, the large white wing field below.

habitat

The Braunliest is not as bound to water as other kingfisher species. It breeds in dry agricultural landscapes, palm groves, parks and sometimes forest clearings, but still mostly near water on steep banks. 4 to 7 round white eggs are laid in a 50 cm long tube.

food

The Braunliest hunts large insects, rodents, snails, fish, frogs and also songbirds.

Subspecies

Six subspecies are known:

• Halcyon smyrnensis smyrnensis ( Linnaeus , 1758)
  • Distribution: From Izmir (Greek Smyrna ) in western Turkey , and Cairo in Egypt south to the Caspian Sea , northern Persian Gulf , Pakistan , Afghanistan and northwest India
  • Appearance: chin, throat and chest white

• Halcyon smyrnensis fusca ( Boddaert , 1783)
  • Distribution: West of India and Sri Lanka
  • Appearance: Slightly darker, the blue has a less green tone.

• Halcyon smyrnensis saturatior Hume , 1874
  • Distribution: Andamans
  • Appearance: like Hs smyrnensis, only darker brown

• Halcyon smyrnensis gularis ( Kuhl , 1820)
  • Distribution: Philippines
  • Appearance: like Hs fusca, but only the chin and throat are white, black on the wing

• Halcyon smyrnensis Fokiensis Laubmann & Götz , 1926
  • Distribution: southern and eastern China , Taiwan and Hainan

• Halcyon smyrnensis perpulchra Madarász , 1904
  • Distribution: Bhutan to the east of India , Indochina , Malay Peninsula and the west of Java .

literature

• Fry, Fry and Harris: Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers , ISBN 0-7136-8028-8 (English)
• Ali, Salim: The Book of Indian Birds , 13th ed., 2002, ISBN 019566523-6 (English)

Web links

Commons : Braunliest  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Halcyon smyrnensis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on December 18 of 2008.
• Videos, photos and sound recordings of Halcyon smyrnensis in the Internet Bird Collection
• Feathers of the Braunliest

Individual evidence

1. ^ IOC World Bird List Rollers, ground rollers & kingfishers