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PLATE 71: KINGFISHERS
White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis V
L: 26. Large, brightly coloured kingfisher with enormous red bill, dark chocolate-brown head and
belly, large white throat and breast ‘bib’, brilliant turquoise-blue upperparts and black forewing.
Flight fast and straight, showing conspicuous white primary patches. Often perches on wires (but
can sit hidden) looking for prey on ground. Rather noisy. Voice Loud raucous yelping kril-kril-kril-kril;
also tittering descending song. Habitat Dry woodland glades and palm groves, as well as tree-lined
lakes, rivers or other wetlands. Note Some winter dispersal, including to Saudi Arabia; vagrant
Oman, Qatar, UAE.Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala MB
L: 20. Fairly large, with large red bill, buffish-grey head and neck, off-white throat and upper
breast; bluish-black wing-coverts and back, with chestnut belly. White patch in primaries visible
in flight. In first autumn, slightly darker head, dark scalloped pectoral band and black-tipped bill.
Often sits on dead branch, poles, wires or other prominent perch. Not dependent on water. Flight
sluggish and undulating. Voice Weak chattering ji, ji, ji-jeee. Habitat Foothills, wadis with trees
(with or without water). Note Summer visitor to S Oman. Vagrant UAE.Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris rb
L: 24. Large kingfisher easily told by turquoise upperparts, all-white underparts and white
collar, bordered above by long black eye-stripe and white supercilium to nape; base of bill horn,
upper mandible greyish. Juvenile has dusky barring on breast. Flight appears rather weak. Noisy,
particularly at dawn, intermittently at other times. Often perches low in mangroves on look-out for
crabs, on which it mostly feeds; when perched on ground tail usually held cocked. Voice Distinctive
kookaburra-like calls; a fast series of loud, ringing notes, each ascending, until end chei-chei-chei-
chei. Habitat Mangroves. Nests in hole in tree or bank. Note Endangered endemic subspecies
kalbaensis restricted to Khor Kalba, Sharjah, and nearby sites on Batinah of Oman; also resident on
Mahawt Island off east coast of Oman. [Alt: Mangrove Kingfisher]Malachite Kingfisher Corythornis cristatus pm, wv, rb?
L: 12. Smaller than Common Kingfisher, which it otherwise resembles, but upperparts darker blue
and red underparts reach to eye, not broken by broad bluish stripe as in Common Kingfisher.
Dark-barred crown sometimes raised as shaggy crest. Bill red in adult (largely black in Common
Kingfisher), though blackish in juvenile. Behaviour much as Common Kingfisher. Voice Sharp, not
very loud, teep-teep. Habitat Permanent water with vegetation. Note Rare visitor to S Oman,
Yemen; breeding attempted in S Oman.Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis PM, WV
L: 17. Small kingfisher with brilliant blue and green upperparts, and reddish-orange underparts
(often bleached in autumn), with buffish-white throat and neck-patch, and long, blackish bill
(though female has red on most of lower mandible). In flight, which is swift, direct and low over
water, luminous back and tail are obvious. Fairly shy, often inconspicuous when perched, sitting on
overhanging branch for long periods before diving for fish; often hovers. Voice High-pitched, thin,
piercing cheee or tzeee, mostly in flight. Habitat Rivers, streams, canals, lakes; in winter also coasts.
Note Passage and winter hatched; vagrant Yemen.Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis V
L: 25. Large and unmistakable; the only black-and-white kingfisher in region, frequently seen
hovering well above water, plunging for fish (but also fishes from perch). White underparts have
two more or less complete black breast-bands in male, one in female. Black eye-mask, white
supercilium, short crest on nape; white-sided tail has black band at tip. Juvenile has greyish breast-
band. Sometimes in small groups. Rather vocal. Voice Loud, noisy chattering chirrick, chirrick,
chirrick. Habitat Rivers, lakes, ponds, mangroves and open coasts. Nests in hole in bank. Note
Winter hatched; vagrant Oman, UAE.