Red breast fishermen

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Red breast fishermen
Pair of red-breasted fishermen, female behind (illustration by JG Keulemans)

Pair of red-breasted fishermen, female behind
(illustration by JG Keulemans )

Systematics
Order : Rockers (Coraciiformes)
Family : Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Subfamily : Fishing Kingfisher (Cerylinae)
Genre : Long-tailed fisherman ( Megaceryle )
Type : Red breast fishermen
Scientific name
Megaceryle torquata
( Linnaeus , 1766)

The red-breasted fisherman ( Megaceryle torquata ) is the largest kingfisher on the American continent; three subspecies are described of the species, which is distinctive in its area of ​​origin. Occasionally, Ceryle torquatus is also mentioned as a scientific name .

features

Red breast fisherman (male)
Red breast fisherman (female)
Juvenile female red breast fisherman with incomplete coloring in the breast area

The red breast fisherman is one of the larger kingfishers and reaches a size of 40 cm. The top of the head and wings are gray. He wears a white collar. Its chest is reddish-orange. The male can be recognized by his serrated crest. In contrast to the male, the female wears a gray chest band, which is bordered by a narrow white ring on the belly side. Both the Latin epithet torquata and the English name Ringed Kingfisher are derived from this.

There is a slight possibility of confusion with the belt fisherman ( Megaceryle alcyon ), which appears in the northern breeding areas of the red-breasted fisherman in winter, but this is significantly smaller and, with the exception of small reddish-brown plumage sections of the female, is not dominantly reddish-orange in color on the ventral side.

With the exception of the very southern breeding populations that move north in winter, the species stays in the breeding area throughout the year.

Occurrence

Distribution area (green) of the red breast fisherman
blue: Alternative areas for the southernmost populations

The distribution area of ​​the species extends from southern Patagonia and northern Tierra del Fuego over large parts of the South American continent to the southern border areas of the USA. In South America only the main Andean ridge , the Atacama Desert and northwestern Argentina are not populated by this species. Red breast fishermen colonize different habitats up to heights of 1500 meters. Forested river banks on slow-flowing rivers are preferred, as are those on lakes; the species is often found in mangrove forests , estuaries, in the southern distribution areas also on fjords. It is not afraid of being close to humans and can also be seen in rice fields, along irrigation ditches and canals, and occasionally even on the water in large parks.

food

The red breast fisherman feeds primarily on fish; in addition, amphibians and reptiles play less of a role. The mostly quite large prey (twenty centimeters) are hunted from relatively high hides (5–10 meters high).

Breeding biology

Both partners dig a breeding cave up to 2.5 meters long, mostly in sand breaks along rivers, but occasionally also in erosion heaps or road embankments, quite far from the nearest river. At the end the nesting tube widens into a nesting cavity; the 3–6 eggs are incubated by both parents. Both parents take care of the chicks that hatch after an average of 22 days during the nestling period, which lasts around 35 days.

Stock situation

Detailed information on the population of the species is missing. There are no indications of nationally significant population changes, so that the species is classified according to IUCN with LC = least concern / not threatened . Very rough estimates put the total population at 5–50 million individuals.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b C. Hilary Fry, Kathie Fry: Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters, & Rollers . Princeton, New Jersey 1992, ISBN 0-691-04879-7 , p. 233.
  2. ^ C. Hilary Fry, Kathie Fry: Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters, & Rollers . Princeton, New Jersey 1992, ISBN 0-691-04879-7 , p. 234.
  3. ↑ Factsheet Birdlife International

literature

Web links

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