English: Kingfishers.
Clades:
Coraciiformes;
Afroaves;
Aves;
Animals.
Genera: 19; 114 species.
Region: cosmopolitan, mostly tropical Africa, Asia, Oceania.
Habitat: forests, near rivers.
IntroductionAlcedinidae are small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds. They have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.
They consume a wide range of prey usually caught by swooping down from a perch. They eat fish, but also small invertebrates.
They nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into the natural or artificial banks in the ground. Some kingfishers nest in arboreal termite nests.
GeneraSubfamilies: Alcedininae, Cerylinae, Halcyoninae.
Alcedininae: River kingfishers, Pygmy kingfishers; Alcedo, Ceyx, Corythornis, Ispidina.
Cerylinae: Water kingfishers, Cerylid; Ceryle, Chloroceryle, Megaceryle.
Halcyoninae: Tree kingfishers; Actenoides, Caridonax, Cittura, Clytoceyx, Halcyon, Lacedo, Melidora, Pelargopsis, Tanysiptera, Dacelo, Syma, Todirhamphus.