Bird Guide

American Pygmy Kingfisher vs Green-and-rufous Kingfisher

American Pygmy Kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea)

American Pygmy Kingfisher

Chloroceryle aenea

Tiny14 gRiverine

The American pygmy kingfisher is about 13 cm (5.1 in) long. Males weigh 10 to 16 g (0.35 to 0.56 oz) and females 12 to 16 g (0.42 to 0.56 oz). It has the typical kingfisher shape, with a shaggy crest and long heavy bill. The bill is black with some pale yellow at the base of the mandible and its legs and feet are pinkish to light gray. Males of the nominate subspecies have a dark glossy green head and upperparts with a golden wash separated by a narrow rufous collar. Their tail is a bluer green. They have black lores with a thin rufous line in front of the eye. Voice: The American pygmy kingfisher makes a "eak, repeated 'tik' or 'dzit, tsweek' sometimes faster as a rattle or chatter". What is thought to be its song is "a series of musical chirps."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Vincent A. Vos · CC BY 4.0
Green-and-rufous Kingfisher (Chloroceryle inda)

Green-and-rufous Kingfisher

Chloroceryle inda

Small52 gRiverine

The green-and-rufous kingfisher is about 24 cm (9.4 in) long. Males weigh 40 to 60 g (1.4 to 2.1 oz) and females 53 to 62 g (1.9 to 2.2 oz). It has the typical kingfisher shape, with a somewhat shaggy crest and a long heavy bill. The bill is black with some pale yellow at the base of the mandible and its legs and feet are pinkish to dark gray. The two species have almost identical plumage, and the differences are similar to the variation present in each subspecies. Adult males have glossy green upperparts with a pale yellowish collar. Voice: The green-and-rufous kingfisher's song is "thin, high-pitched notes, 'week week week'." It has a variety of calls including a "chip-chip-chip", a "hard, rolling 'drrrt'", a "crackling 'trit-trit-trit'", and a "twitter followed by rapidly repeated, low 'too-too-too-too'".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: derivative work: Snowmanradio (talk) Chloroceryle_inda_-Madidi_National_Park_-Bolivia-8a.jpg: Arthur Chapman · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: American Pygmy Kingfisher and Green-and-rufous Kingfisher.