﻿HALCYON 



SORDIDA. 



(DULL-GREEN KINGFISHER.) 



Halcyon sordidus Gould, P.Z.S. 1842, p. 72. 



Todiramphus sordidus Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av. I, p. 157 (1850). 



Sauropatis sordida Cab. and Heine, Mus. Hein. fch. II, p. 59 (1860). 



Halcyon sordida, var Gray, P.Z.S. 1858, p. 172, unde. 



Sauropatis grayi Cab. and Heine, Mus. Hein. tli. II, p. 59 (1860). 



Halcyon grayi Gray, Handl. of B. I, p. 92 (1869). 



H. affinis H. chloridi sed paullo robustior, coloribus sordidioribus, pileo dorso-que sordide viridibus. 



Hob. in sub-regione Austro- Malay ana et in Australia septentrionali. 



Adult. Head dull blackish green, cheeks, ear-coverts and back of the head black; 

 lores and a collar encircling the neck, white ; uppermost portion of the back blackish 

 green; scapulars dull green; wing-coverts dull green, somewhat tinged with blue, the 

 primary coverts being entirely of this colour ; quills black, the outer web conspicuously 

 washed with bright blue ; lower portion of the back and rump dull cobalt ; tail blue above, 

 black beneath; entire under-surface white, tinged with blue on the lower part of the 

 flanks ; bill black, the lower mandible yellowish at the base ; feet olive-brown. Total 

 length 9 - 5 inches, of bill from front 2*0, from gape 2 5, wing 4*2, tail 3*0, tarsus 0*55, 

 middle toe 0"9, hind toe, - 5. 



Young. Similar to the adult, but has the breast thickly marked with brown edgings to 

 the feathers, and the upper surface of the body dull brown, especially on the head and 

 scapulars ; the white nuchal spot is also a little more distinct. 



Hab. Northern Australia (Gould); Hope Isles (mus. Brit.), New Guinea (Scldegel) ; 

 Aru Islands (Wallace). 



Mr. G. R. Gray has considered the bird from the Aru Islands to be different from the 

 ordinary Australian form, but I cannot see any real distinctions, and as the New Guinea 

 bird is, according to Professor Schlegel, absolutely identical with Australian specimens, it 

 would be unreasonable to look for a different species in the Aru Islands. 



Additional references. — Halcyon sordida, Gray, Gen. of B. I, p. 7!) (1846) ; Gould, B. of Austr. II, pi. 23 

 (1848); id. Intr. B. of Austr. p. .'30 (1818) ; Reich. V8g. Ncuholl. p. 20'.) (1850); Gray, Handl. of B. I, p. 92 

 (1869). Todiramphus sordidus, Reich. Handl). Alced. p. 82, t. cccexix, fig. 8136-37 (1851); Cass. Cat. Hale. 

 Phil. Mus. p. 12 (1852); Bonap. Consp. Vol. Anis. p. 9 (1854); Cuss. U.y. Expl. Exp. p. 212 (1858) ; Gould, 

 Handb. B. of Austr. I. p. 132 (1805.) 



