Micronesian Kingfisher

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

The Micronesian kingfisher is one of the smaller representatives of the genus Todiramphus. It has a head-body length of 15+ cm, with a wingspan of 20 cm. Males weigh about 60 g, females 58-74 g

Micronesian kingfishers have a large head, a short neck and tail, weak feet, and a straight,strong bill that is flattened on the top and bottom. Both sexes have a chestnut head, greenish-blue body, and blue tail. The males' breast is rusty cinnamon, and the females' is white.

Both, male and female, participate in excavating nest hollows in a coconut palm or other tall tree, several metres above ground. A pair may control several howws but will use only one. The clutch consists of usually 2 eggs. Both parents feed the chicks.

Micronesian kingfishers are ambush hunters, sitting on a tree branch and waiting for small prey animals to pass by. This behaviour makes themselves easy prey for snakes. They have been observed to feed primarily on grasshoppers, small lizards, annelids, insects, hermit crabs, other small crustaceans, and occasionally small mammals and young birds

Did you know?
hat the Guam kingfisher (Halcyon cinnamomina cinnamomina) population was decimated after the arrival of the brown tree snake on Guam? After World War II, brown tree snakes were accidentally introduced to the island. By 1984 the Guam kingfisher had become almost extinct.

Factsheet
Class	AVES
Order	CORACIIFORMES
Suborder	ALCEDINES
Family	ALCEDINIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Todiramphus cinnamominus (Halcyon cinnamomina)
Name (English)	Micronesian Kingfisher
Name (French)	Martin-chasseur cannelle
Name (German)	Zimtkopfliest
Name (Spanish)	Alción Micronesio
CITES Status	Not listed
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Ryan Somma

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Micronesia, Palau Subspecies T. c. cinnamominus (formerly Guam) exists today only in zoos
Habitat	Forests, woodlands, mangrove swamps
Wild population	Unknown. Subspecies H. c. cinnamomina is extinct in the wild
Zoo population	Approx. 65

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 11F of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Christian Schmidt

Why do zoos keep this animal

Faced with imminent extinction in the wild, Guam's Department of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources and several institutions captured the last 29 kingfishers between 1984 and 1986. An AZA Species Survival Plan was established with the long-term target of buolding up an ex situ population of 200 burds kepot by 25 different institutions.

How this animal should be kept

Micronesian kingfishers are very aggressive, and should therefore be kept in pairs only. The recommended minimum enclosure size for breeding pairs of kingfishers is 6-8 m² with a height of 3 m. Pairs should be provided with the opportunity to put some distance between themselves when not breeding, i.e. the aviary should be larger than indicated, or two separate aviaries should be available. Holding cages for non-breeding, single birds must not be smaller than 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 m, although larger spaces are preferable.

Containment should be either solid material, wire mesh, or glass. For wire enclosures, mesh size should not exceed 2.5 cm. Mesh size should be smaller in outside exhibits and holding situations in order to preclude infiltration by pests- Birds have escaped from enclosures that use piano wire barriers; therefore, this type of barrier should not be used with this species. When using glass front aviaries, there is a risk that the kingfishers will attack their images reflected in the glass and injure themselves.

The aviary should be well planted for cover and to provide areas of refuge. Perches should be located in the upper reaches of the aviary. The floor should be covered with suitable substrate such as soil, bark mulch, peat moss etc.

Water dishes or concrete pools large enough to permit bathing, i.e. at least 12.5 cm deep and with a diameter of about 50 cm. Fresh water must be provided daily.

Food dishes should be shallow and open to allow birds to feed on the wing. It is preferable to place feed dishes above ground level in a central location to facilitate feeding. Pairs should be provided with more than one food dish in different locations, to minimize the potential for aggression over food. It is also recommended that birds be fed twice daily.

The average daily temperature on Guam is 27°C with a range of 21-30°C with little variation throughout the year. Average humidity ranges from 65 to 75% at night and 85 to 100% during the day. For indoor enclosures an attempt should be made to mimic these conditions as closely as possible.