Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters, & Rollers: A Handbook

Few birds can match the dazzling beauty of kingfishers, bee-eaters, and rollers. Until now no comprehensive treatment of these families has appeared in a single volume. This authoritative guide provides an up-to-the-minute review of all that is known about the world's 123 species. The forty magnificient plates by Alan Harris show every species, all main subspecies, and most sex and age variations--350 portraits in all. For easy reference, color maps showing breeding and wintering ranges appear opposite the plates. Text and plates are carefully coordinated, with emphasis on behavior, field characters, and identification; and the species accounts, which form the bulk of the book, are liberally illustrated with line drawings.

Table of Contents:
Introduction x Acknowledgements xi Explanation of Plates, Maps and Text 1 Characters and Relationships 6 Food and Foraging 12 Nesting 17 Social and Breeding Behaviour 19 Distribution and Derivation 21 Island Rarities 24 Colour Plates 25 Systematic Section 107 KINGFISHERS 1 Celebes Green Kingfisher Actenoides monachus 107 2 Regent Kingfisher Actenoides princeps 107 3 Moustached Kingfisher Actenoides bougainvillei 109 4 Hombron's Wood Kingfisher Actenoides hombroni 110 5 Spotted Wood Kingfisher Actenoides lindsayi 111 6 Rufous-collared Kingfisher Actenoides concretus 112 7 Common Paradise Kingfisher Tanysiptera galatea 113 8 Numfor Paradise Kingfisher Tanysiptera carolinae 116 9 Aru Paradise Kingfisher Tanysiptera hydrocharis 117 10 Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher Tanysiptera sylvia 118 11 Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher Tanysiptera nympha 120 12 Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher Tanysiptera danae 121 13 Lilac Kingfisher Cittura cyanotis 122 14 Hook-billed Kingfisher Melidora macrorrhina 123 15 Shovel-billed Kingfisher Clytoceyx rex 125 16 Banded Kingfisher Lacedo pulchella 127 17 Rufous-bellied Kookaburra Dacelo gaudichaud 128 18 Spangled Kookaburra Dacelo tyro 130 19 Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii 131 20 Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae 133 21 White-rumped Kingfisher Halcyon fulgida 136 22 Stork-billed Kingfisher Halcyon capensis 137 23 Celebes Stork-billed Kingfisher Halcyon melanorhyncha 139 24 Brown-winged Kingfisher Halcyon amauroptera 140 25 Ruddy Kingfisher Halcyon coromanda 141 26 White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis 143 27 Java Kingfisher Halcyon cyanoventris 145 28 Chocolate-backed Kingfisher Halcyon badia 146 29 Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata 147 30 Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala 149 31 Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris 152 32 Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti 154 33 Blue-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon malimbica 155 34 Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis 157 35 African Mangrove Kingfisher Halcyon senegaloides 159 36 Black-sided Kingfisher Halcyon nigrocyanea 161 37 Winchell's Kingfisher Halcyon winchelli 162 38 Moluccan Kingfisher Halcyon diops 164 39 Lazuli Kingfisher Halcyon lazuli 165 40 Forest Kingfisher Halcyon macleayii 166 41 New Britain Kingfisher Halcyon albonotata 168 42 Ultramarine Kingfisher Halcyon leucopygia 169 43 Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher Halcyon farquhari 170 44 Lesser Yellow-billed Kingfisher Halcyon torotoro 171 45 Mountain Yellow-billed Kingfisher Halcyon megarhyncha 173 46 Sombre Kingfisher Halcyon funebris 174 47 Mangrove Kingfisher Halcyon chloris 175 48 Micronesian Kingfisher Halcyon cinnamomina 181 49 Beach Kingfisher Halcyon saurophagd 183 50 Sacred Kingfisher Halcyon sancta 185 51 Timor Kingfisher Halcyon australasia 188 52 Red-backed Kingfisher Halcyon pyrrhopygia 189 53 Pacific Kingfisher Halcyon tuta 190 54 Tahiti Kingfisher Halcyon venerata 192 55 Niau Kingfisher Halcyon gertrudae 193 56 Marquesas Kingfisher Halcyon godeffroyi 194 57 African Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx lecontei 195 58 African Pygmy Kingfisher Ceyx pictus 196 59 Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx erithacus 198 60 Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx melanurus 200 61 Celebes Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx fallax 201 62 Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher Ceyx madagascariensis 201 63 Variable Dwarf Kingfisher Alcedo lepida 202 64 White-bellied Kingfisher Alcedo leucogaster 204 65 Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata 206 66 Madagascar Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo vintsioides 208 67 Silvery Kingfisher Alcedo argentata 209 68 Philippine Pectoral Kingfisher Alcedo cyanopecta 209 69 Caerulean Kingfisher Alcedo coerulescens 210 70 Blue-banded Kingfisher Alcedo euryzona 211 71 Shining-blue Kingfisher Alcedo quadribrachys 213 72 Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea 214 73 Bismarck Kingfisher Alcedo websteri 215 74 Little Kingfisher Alcedo pusilla 216 75 Blue-eared Kingfisher Alcedo meninting 217 76 River Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 219 77 Half-collared Kingfisher Alcedo semitorquata 222 78 Great Blue Kingfisher Alcedo hercules 223 79 American Pygmy Kingfisher Chloroceryle aenea 224 80 Green-and-rufous Kingfisher Chloroceryle inda 225 81 Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana 226 82 Amazon Kingfisher Chloroceryle amazona 228 83 Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle luguhris 229 84 Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maxima 231 85 Ringed Kingfisher Megaceryle torquata 233 86 Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon 234 87 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis 236 BEE-EATERS 88 Red-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis amicta 241 89 Blue-bearded Bee-eater NYctYornis athertoni 242 90 Celebes Bee-eafer Meropogon forsteni 244 91 Black-headed Bee-eater Merops breweri 246 92 Blue-headed Bee-eater Merops muelleri 247 93 Black Bee-eater Merops gularis 249 94 Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Merops hirundineus 251 95 Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus 253 96 Blue-breasted Bee-eater Merops variegatus 255 97 Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater Merops oreobates 257 98 Red-throated Bee-eater Merops bullocki 259 99 White-fronted Bee-eater Merops bullockoides 262 100 Somali Bee-eater Merops revoilii 264 101 White-throated Bee-eater Merops albicollis 265 102 Boehm's Bee-eater Merops boehmi 267 103 Little Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis 269 104 Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus 271 105 Madagascar/Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops superciliosus 273 106 Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus 275 107 Blue-throated Bee-eater Merops virdis 277 108 Bay-headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti 279 109 European Bee-eater Merops apiaster 281 110 Rosy Bee-eater Merops Malimbicus 283 111 Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicus 285 ROLLERS 112 Rufous-crowned Roller Coracias naevia 287 113 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis 289 114 Celebes Roller Roller Cowias termminckii291 115 Racket-tailed Roller Coracias spatulata 292 116 Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudata 294 117 Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinica 296 118 European Roller Coracias garrulus 298 119 Blue-bellied Roller Coracias cyanogaster 300 120 Blue-throated Roller Eurystomus gularis 301 121 Broad-billed Roller Eurystomus glaucurus 303 122 Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis 305 123 Azure Roller Eurystomus azureus 308 Bibliography 309 Index 318

About the Author :
C. Hilary Fry is author of The Bee-Eaters (1984) and was heavily involved with the seven-volume The Birds of Africa. C. Hilary Fry and Kathie Fry made field observations specifically for this book in Kenya, Arabia, Thailand, and Western Australia. They have traveled in search of birds and to ornithological conferences on five continents. Alan Harris, a member of the Society of Wildlife Artists, has been a freelance illustrator since 1980. His work has been published in over 50 books and magazines.

Review :
For persons not familiar with the kingfisher, bee-eater, and roller families, and who want to learn more about these birds, this book is an eye-opener, and I can hardly imagine a more attractive introduction to them. The Quarterly Review of Biology Fry, Fry, and Harris have produced a highly useful, beautifully illustrated summary of knowledge of three groups of birds. This is one of the many new 'family' books that many ornithologists will want for their own libraries, and any institutional library used by ornithologists should obtain a copy. The Auk This book is a must for every serious birdwatcher... It is an essential reference for anyone who is planning a trip to a hot-spot for these birds, or people who want to rekindle the memories of a Kenyan safari. Birdwatching