122 ALCEDINIDyE. 



Genus ALCEDO, Linn., 1766. 



Back bright blue, head banded black and blue. Bill long, coin- 

 pressed; culmen very slightly curved, the ridge rounded not 

 flattened above, and with a slight groove on each side. Wing 

 somewhat pointed, 3rd or 4th quill longest, 1st and 2nd very 

 little shorter. Tail very short, shorter than the bill and rounded 

 at the end. Feet weak. 



A genus of 10 known species, half of which are Indian. The 

 generic range extends throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Size small ; wing 2 - 5 to 3-2. 



a 1 . Ear-coverts ferruginous in adults ...... A. ispida, p. 122. 



b'. Ear-coverts blue in adults. 



a". Middle of back pale blue A. beavani, p. 124. 



b". Middle of back deep blue A. meninting, p. 125. 



b. Size larger ; wing about 3'5. 

 c'. No green band across breast. 



c". Bars on head conspicuous, whitish 



blue A. grandis, p. 125. 



d" . Bars on head inconspicuous, dull 



greenish blue A. euryzona $ , p. 126. 



d 1 . A green band across breast A. euryzona <$ ,p. 126. 



1035. Alcedo ispida. The Common Kingfisher. 



Alcedo ispida, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 179 (1766) ; Sharpe, Mon. Ale. 

 p. 1, pi. i ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 168 ; id. Cat. no. 134 bis ; Blanf. 

 East. Pers. ii, p. 121 ; Sutler, S. F. v, p. 208 ; Murray, Vert. Zool. 

 Sind, p. Ill ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 102 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, 

 p. 141. 



Alcedo bengalensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i,p. 450 (1788) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 49; 

 Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 129 ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1868, p. 474 ; 1859, 

 p. 174 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 230; Hume fy Senders. Lah. to Yark. 

 p. 178 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 168 ; ii, p. 173 ; xi, p. 46 ; id. Cat. 

 no. 134; Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm. p. 71; Anders. Yunnan Exped,, 

 Aves, p. 580; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 81 ; Cripps, 8. F. vii, 

 p. 260 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 292 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 72 ; id. in 

 Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 1 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 101. 



Alcedo sindiana, Hume, S. F. i, p. 168. 



The Common Indian Kingfisher, Jerdon ; Chota kilkila, Nita or Nika 

 machrdla, H. ; Khandu, Khandya, Mahr. ; Chota-machranga, B. ; Tint 

 Konu, Tuntu, Kashmiri ; Ung-chin. Lepcha ; Nila buche gadu, Tel. ; 

 Dane-nyin, Burm. 



Coloration. Crown and nape transversely banded dusky black 

 and blue ; lores and a band below the eye to the ear-coverts deep 

 ferruginous, ending in a white or rufous-white patch at the side 

 of the neck ; lower edge of lores black, a broad stripe from the 

 lower mandible down each cheek blue ; middle of back, rump, and 

 upper tail-coverts bright blue; scapulars and wing-coverts greenish 



