Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 19, 2026

Rusty-capped kingfisher

The rusty-capped kingfisher or Palau kingfisher is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to Palau. The natural habitat of this species is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Micronesian kingfisher.

Last revised
Jul 19, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
375 w
Citations
5
Source
Rusty-capped kingfisher
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Subfamily: Halcyoninae
Genus: Todiramphus
Species:
T. pelewensis
Binomial name
Todiramphus pelewensis
(Wiglesworth, 1891)

The rusty-capped kingfisher or Palau kingfisher (Todiramphus pelewensis) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to Palau.2 The natural habitat of this species is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Micronesian kingfisher.

This is a brilliantly colored, medium-sized kingfisher. Adults are characterized by white underparts with long black eyestripes, while juveniles are cinnamon below. They have large laterally-flattened bills and dark legs. Kingfishers defend permanent territories as breeding pairs and family groups. Both sexes care for young, and some offspring remain with parents for extended periods.3

Little has been published about the status of rusty-capped kingfisher populations, although the US Fish and Wildlife Service has bird survey data for the region.45

References

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Todiramphus pelewensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T22725870A94904105. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22725870A94904105.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. "Species factsheet: Todiramphus pelewensis". www.birdlife.org. BirdLife International. 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  3. Kesler, Dylan C. (2006). Population demography, resource use, and movement in cooperatively breeding Micronesian Kingfishers (Doctorate thesis). Oregon State University. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  4. Kesler, Dylan C.; Haig, Susan M. (May 2007). "Conservation biology for suites of species: Demographic modeling for Pacific island kingfishers". Biological Conservation. 136 (4): 520–530. Bibcode:2007BCons.136..520K. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2006.12.023. S2CID 52254797 – via University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
  5. Kesler, Dylan C.; Haig, Susan M. (May 2007). "Multiscale Habitat Use and Selection in Cooperatively Breeding Micronesian Kingfishers". Journal of Wildlife Management. 71 (3): 765–772. Bibcode:2007JWMan..71..765K. doi:10.2193/2006-011. ISSN 0022-541X. S2CID 4104260.
Further reading

Further reading