In China, Blue-eared Kingfisher Alcedo meninting coltarti is rare resident southern Yunnan. Similar in size and patterning to Common Kingfisher A. atthis, but has blue ear coverts, not diagnostic orange coverts of Common. Cobalt blue above, in contrast to greenish blue of Common, and brighter rufous below. More tied to forests than Common. — Craig Brelsford
THE KINGFISHERS OF CHINA
shanghaibirding.com covers every species of kingfisher in China. Click any link:
Stork-billed Kingfisher Pelargopsis capensis
Ruddy Kingfisher Halcyon coromanda
Black-capped Kingfisher H. pileata
White-throated Kingfisher H. smyrnensis
Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris
Blue-eared Kingfisher Alcedo meninting
Common Kingfisher A. atthis
Blyth’s Kingfisher A. hercules
Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx erithaca
Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris
Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Daniel Bengtsson served as chief ornithological consultant for Craig Brelsford’s Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of China, from which this species description is drawn.
