Table Of ContentFIRST AUSTRALIAN RECORD OF BLACK-CAPPED
KINGFISHER (HALCYON PILEATA)
By R.E. JOHNSTONE and J.C. DARNELL
Department of Ornithology, Western Australian Museum,
Locked Bag 49 Welshpool DC Western Australia 6986
INTRODUCTION number A35429) and its
identification confirmed as a
On 3 January 2005 Harold and
Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon
Josephine Millington captured
t)ileata (Boddaert).
an oil-soaked kingfisher on their
farm at North Burracoppin in
the central wheatbelt of Western DESCRIPTION OF THE
Australia, The kingfisher was SPECIMEN
probably present in the garden
Details of the bird are as follows:
the day before as Josephine heard
immature female with ovary 9.9
a strange call from dense shrubs.
x 3.6 mm; total length 286mm;
The bird had apparently become
weight 66g (with no body fat);
oil-soaked after trying to either
exposed culmen 60 mm; entire
drink or bathe in a large
culmen 71 mm; wing 132 mm;
container of sump oil. It was
tarsus 15 mm; hind toe and claw
observed hopping across the
14 mm. Iris dark brown; orbital
ground and cocking its tail, and
ring skin dull pinkish; bill dark
was captured using a long-
coral red grading paler and
handled insect net. Attempts
brighter at tip; mouth bright red;
were made at cleaning and
legs red; claws black. Crown and
feeding the bird but it died on 5
sides of head to level of upper
January 2005.
cheeks and ear coverts black;
Several photographs were taken broad collar around hind-neck
of the bird both alive and shortly white tinged with buff. Back
after death and along with the mantle scapulars, rump and
specimen were sent to Pam upper tail coverts deep purple
Masters of Merredin who emailed blue, with rump and uppertail
the Western Australian Museum coverts slightly brighter (the
for help with identification. The mantle immediately below the
frozen specimen was then nape band toned dusky and the
brought to the Museum on 13 rump/upper-tail coverts area
January, cleaned and prepared diffusely somewhat brighter
into a study skin (registered blue). Tail similar to upper parts
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but with inner webs blackish large white patch (mirroring that
and with black shafts. Marginal of upperwing in extent).
wing coverts cinnamon buff Undertail black. See Figure 1.
(forming a narrow pale leading
edge to the wing, not visible at
rest or in flight). Lesser median DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS
and inner greater wing coverts
The Black-capped Kingfisher
black, primary coverts as back
breeds in the temperate-
etc. Primaries appear dark with
subtropical areas of eastern and
large whitish panel, but actual
southern Asia, from Korea and
details complex; outermost
Manchuria through eastern
primary entirely black, except
China south to northern
for white basal (c.30%) section of
Indochina and westwards
the inner web; white area
through southern China,
extends to both webs on
central Myanmar (Burma) and
remainder and increases to basal
Bangladesh to the coastal
(c.80%) on innermost; the outer
regions of northern and central
web of the “white” area is
peninsula India, including
strongly tinted blue (a paler
Nicobar and Andaman Islands.
shade, especially towards the
(Fry et aL 1992). The northern
base, than on the upperparts) and
populations are strongly
the section of outer web within
migratory, their post breeding
the black tip becomes pro¬
range extending south into the
gressively more suffused with
tropical zone, although barely
the rich blue of the back etc.
extending south of the equator.
until on innermost no 'black’ is
The southern limit extending
visible on outer web (a paler blue to Sri Lanka, Malay Peninsula
panel formed by the outer webs
(including Singapore) where it is
can sometimes be seen on closed relatively common; Sumatra
wing). Secondaries and tertials where although fairly common
mostly purple blue, grading to in the north it is far less so in the
black on inner webs. Chin, lower southern areas; Java where rare;
cheeks, throat and breast dull Borneo where relatively
white; the lateral breast feathers common along northern coastal
either tinged or mainly regions, but much rarer to scarce
cinnamon buff, most with fine in southern regions; Philippines
dusky shaft streaks. Central belly where uncommon, with most
a mixture of white and records relating to islands
cinnamon brown. Lower belly, between main archipelago and
flanks, vent and undertail north-west Borneo; Sulawesi
coverts cinnamon brown (a few records from northern
richer shade), deepest on the areas. Not recorded from Bali or
flanks. Underwing coverts rich Lesser Sundas. As such, its
cinnamon brown, remainder of presence in Australia is all the
underwing blackish except for more remarkable.
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Figure 1. Illustration of Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata A35429 showing
details of upper and under parts G-C. Darnell).
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DISCUSSION fish, frogs, crustaceans, aquatic
and terrestrial insects etc., most
The Black-capped Kingfisher is
of these being captured on
essentially an aquatic kingfisher.
exposed mudbanks and in
During the breeding season
shallow water pools. The prey is
(April - August) the more
brought back to the vantage
northerly populations penetrate
point and in typical Kingfisher
well inland utilising fresh water
manner beaten and broken up
rivers, lakes etc. as well as
before being swallowed (usually
brackish and coastal saline areas.
head first). The black cap, white
In the non-breeding period, they
nape band, purplish blue-black
are in general more confined to
upperparts, rufous buff
coastal areas (mangrove fringes,
underparts, red bill and
creeks and prawn ponds but will
prominent white panel in the
still be found along rivers
primaries (very obvious in flight)
especially where they have
are diagnostic.
wooded banks but also utilise
The weight of the Western
irrigated areas (paddy fields etc.)
Australian specimen 66 g is well
and occasionally even extending
under the range 85-88 g of
into dry areas. At such times it is
identification in Fry et al. (1992),
normally solitary, aggressively
and it had no subcutaneous or
driving off congeners such
body fat indicating that it had
encounters often accompanied
burnt up all of its reserves. What
by a sharp rather ringing (fairly
is also puzzling is why, after
rapid) ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki from an
striking the Western Australian
otherwise relatively quiet bird. It
coastline with what would
typically uses an exposed branch
appear to be suitable habitat for
or stump etc. as a vantage point,
this species, did it continue into
perching in the typical
the semi-arid interior?
'kingfisher stance’, giving the
occasional bob of the head and
vertical flick of a tail. If no prey
REFERENCES
is seen, or if disturbed it flies off,
direct, fairly fast and low to FRY, C.H., FRY, K. and HARRIS, A.
another such vantage point, a 1992. Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and
series of which form its non¬ Rollers. Christopher Helm, London.
breeding territory. They feed on
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