Plate 022 · male with a fish above the stream IdentificationSix marks on the plate
- 1Glossy dark green on head, back and wings.
- 2Long black bill like a dagger.
- 3White collar from throat round the neck.
- 4Rufous breast band in the male only.
- 5White spots on wings and tail.
- 6Green-spotted flanks on a white belly.
Easily confused with Amazon KingfisherChloroceryle amazonaLarger, with no white wing spots and a heavier bill. Ringed KingfisherMegaceryle torquataMuch larger, blue-grey, with a rufous belly. 022 / 100 · BIRDS · ALCEDINIDAELEAST CONCERN Green Kingfisher
Chloroceryle americana
Martín pescador chico
The smallest kingfisher in Tucumán. It perches on low branches over forest rivers and streams, plunges head first and comes up with a fish. It flies low over the water and gives a dry "tick" as it passes.
- Length
- c. 20 cm
- Altitude
- 300 – c. 1,200 m
- Nest
- tunnel in a bank
- Female
- two green breast bands
- Rivers and streams
- Fish eater
- Plunge diver
- Resident
Altitude rangeRivers of the lower forest
All year Lives on rivers and streams with clear water and wooded banks, mostly in foothill forest. It follows rivers up into the lower montane forest.
FoodSmall fish
- Small fishtetras and others, up to c. 10 cm
- Aquatic insectslarvae and adults
- Small crustaceansoccasional
It needs clear water to see its prey. Rivers made muddy by erosion or pollution drive it away.
BehaviourA bankside fisher
J F M A M J J A S O N D BreedingPresent - Plunge dives. From a low branch it drops head first into the water and grabs the fish in its bill.
- Tunnel nest. It digs a tunnel into an earth bank by the water.
- Solitary. Each bird keeps its own stretch of river.
Where to look in Tucumán- Río Los Sosa
- Parque Provincial La Florida
- Quebrada de Lules
- Río Lules
- Raco