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FIRST 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 187 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. 188 Figure 1. Illustration of Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata A35429 showing details of upper and under parts G-C. Darnell). 189 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 190