Ruddy Kingfisher Halcyon coromanda is very rare passage migrant Shanghai. Ssp. major rare breeder northeast China and coromanda rare resident extreme southern Yunnan. Also bangsi rare resident Taiwan (notably Lanyu Island). Secretive in thick forests; more often heard than seen. Race major mainly rusty-red above, with iridescent lilac shade; turquoise rump and white throat; face and underparts paler rusty-red. Bill red, massive, with upturned lower mandible; feet orange. Distinctive descending, tremulous territorial call. — 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.
