Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: Mountain Yellow Beak Jade
- Scientific name: Mountain Kingfisher (Syma megarhyncha)
- Classification: Climbing birds
- Classification: Order Coraciiformes, Family Kingfisher, Genus Kingfisher
Vital signs data
- Body length: No verification information available.
- Weight: No verification information available.
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
It is very similar to yellow-mouthed jadeite, but larger in size.
Distribution and Habitat
Distributed in the Pacific islands (including Taiwan, the Dongsha Islands, Xisha Islands, Zhongsha Islands, Nansha Islands, as well as the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra and Java in Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea).
The Yellow-billed Emerald is active in rainforest edge clearings, forests, rubber plantations, and mangroves.
Appearance
The adult male has a reddish-brown head and neck, with black lores and eyes. The cape is dark blue, and the shoulder blades are dark green. The lower back and foretail are blue-green. The tail tip is bluish-purple. The chin and throat are white, and the breast is reddish-orange. The sides, belly, tail fins, and forked wings are yellowish-brown and pale yellow or cream. The base of the tail is black. The bill and upper jaw edges are bright yellow. The iris is dark brown, and the legs are yellow with dark brown claws. The adult female differs from the male, with slightly lighter colors on the sides, belly, and tail. Juveniles resemble the female, with red crown feathers. There is a large space around the black eyes, and dark spots on the cheeks and breast feathers. The bill is greyish-black.
The beak is thick and long, resembling a chisel, with a relatively wide base, a straight beak peak, a rounded ridge, and no nasal grooves on either side; the wings are rounded, with the first primary flight feather being the same length as or slightly shorter than the seventh primary flight feather, and the second, third, and fourth primary flight feathers being nearly the same length; the base of the primary flight feathers has white spots; the tail is rounded.
Detailed introduction
The Mountain Kingfisher, scientifically known as *Syma megarhyncha*, has three subspecies: 1. *Syma megarhyncha wellsiwdg*, distributed in western New Guinea; 2. *Syma megarhyncha sellamontis*, distributed in the Ong Peninsula of northeastern New Guinea; and 3. *Syma megarhyncha megarhyncha*, distributed in southeastern New Guinea.
The Mountain Yellow-billed Kingfisher is commonly seen flying at low altitudes, usually below 500 meters. Like most kingfishers, it is entirely carnivorous, often searching for prey in leaves or soil. Its main diet consists of invertebrates such as crickets, spiders, scorpions, and snails. It also eats small vertebrates such as small fish, small snakes, and lizards.
The breeding season for the Mountain Yellow-billed Kingfisher typically falls between November and January. They nest in earthen cliffs or river embankments, digging oval-shaped tunnels with their beaks, 9 to 12 centimeters deep and 9.5 centimeters wide. These tunnels are generally unlined. The female lays 3 or 4 eggs directly on the ground. Some also burrow into the trunks of palm trees or other trees, up to 3 meters above the ground.
Listed in the IUCN Red List of Birds, ver 3.1: 2008.
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