Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: Amazon Green Fish Dog
- Scientific name: Chloroceryle amazona, Amazon Kingfisher
- Classification: Climbing birds
- Classification and genus: Order Coraciiformes, Family Kingfisher, Genus Kingfisher
Vital signs data
- Body length: Approximately 30 centimeters
- Weight: 98-140g
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
It is the largest species of green sea bream.
Distribution and Habitat
The Amazonian green kingfisher is distributed in Central America (located between North and South America, including Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, etc.) and South America (including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands).
Amazonian green sea lions inhabit large, winding rivers, calm lagoons, and woodlands. They typically live at altitudes below 1200 meters, though this is not absolute; in some areas, such as Guatemala and Venezuela, they can reach altitudes of 1780 or 2500 meters.
Appearance
The Amazonian Green Kingfisher is 30cm long, with males weighing 98-120g and females 125-140g. Adult males have a deep green crown with a bronze sheen. The neck is a narrow, closed white collar. Both primary and secondary feathers have white spots. There is a long white whisker at the base of the bill. The white chin and throat are separated by thin green bands. The sides of the breast are distinctly red and green. Its abdomen, winglets, and tail are white. There are heavy stripes on the sides with a deep green hue. There is a small, dark yellow spot from the bill to the base of the lower jaw. The iris is dark brown, and the legs are dark gray. Adult females differ; their breasts are white-edged with green feathers extending to the abdomen. They are larger in size. The bill is long and laterally compressed with a rounded ridge; the nasal groove is prominent; the first primary flight feather is shorter than the second, and the second or third is the longest; the tail is longer than the bill.
Detailed introduction
The Amazonian green kingfisher, scientifically known as *Chloroceryle amazona*, is the largest species of kingfisher and is quite similar in appearance to other green kingfishers, making them easily confused when their size is not apparent from a distance.
The Amazonian green kingfisher is a fish-eating kingfisher with exceptional diving skills, capable of hovering in mid-air to lock onto its prey. It primarily lives near rivers, feeding on fish. It inhabits scrubland or sparse forests, clear, slow-flowing rivers, streams, lakes, and irrigation canals. It often flies overhead over rivers, streams, ponds, and marshes, surveying for food. Once it spots prey, it swiftly and decisively swoops down. It usually perches alone on the tops of branches, telephone poles, or rocks near water, waiting for its prey. It is commonly seen perched on low branches or rocks near the water, patiently waiting for its prey. Like kingfishers, it hunts by swooping down from the water's surface or diving underwater; sometimes it can even disappear completely into the water. Other times, it flaps its wings, hovering about 3-10 meters above the water, seemingly suspended above the surface, and upon spotting prey, immediately plunges into the water to catch it. It places its catch on its perch, constantly manipulating it, even tossing the fish up to swallow it headfirst. Its diet consists mainly of small fish, making it a true expert fisherman. It can catch fish up to 12 centimeters long and also eats shrimp.
Amazonian green kingfishers typically nest on earthen cliffs, or on the banks of fields and streams. They dig tunnel-like burrows with their beaks, about 25 cm wide, 45 cm long, and 16 cm high. These burrows are usually unlined. The female lays 3 or 4 eggs directly on the ground in the nest. The eggs are pure white, glossy, with sturdy shells and slight spots. Incubation lasts 22 days. The adult birds are responsible for feeding the chicks, which hatch and leave the nest after 29 or 30 days.
Listed in the IUCN Red List of Birds, ver 3.1: 2008.
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