Australian Biological Resources Study

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CAVS: 8983

Subspecies Ceyx azureus azureus (Latham, 1801)

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria


Extra Distribution Information

Coastal and subcoastal E Australia, north to about Endeavour River and main offshore islands in QLD, south to S VIC, and inland to or just across watershed of Great Dividing Range in north and to upper Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, middle Murray and Glenelg Rivers in S NSW, VIC—formerly to Mt Lofty Range, SA (?isolate) where now extinct—records from SW Australia not confirmed. Intergrades with A. a. ruficollaris (Bankier, 1841) on central E coast of Cape York Peninsula north from Endeavour River to around Princess Charlotte Bay, QLD.


Note that conversion of the original AFD map of states, drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones to IBRA and IMCRA regions may have produced errors. The new maps will be reviewed and corrected as updates occur. The maps may not indicate the entire distribution. See further details below.
IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)
drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones (map not available)

IBRA

NSW, Qld, Vic: Australian Alps (AA), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Flinders (FLI), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mulga Lands (ML), Nandewar (NAN), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), New England Tablelands (NET), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Wet Tropics (WT)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

  • Australia
    • New South Wales: Murray-Darling basin, SE coastal
    • Queensland: Murray-Darling basin, NE coastal
    • Victoria: Murray-Darling basin, SE coastal

Ecological Descriptors

Arboreal, arthropod-feeder, closed forest, diurnal, estuary, lentic freshwater, littoral, lotic freshwater, mangrove, nomadic, open forest, piscivore, piscivore, resident, swamp, tall forest, territorial, volant.

Extra Ecological Information

Randomly dispersed, seasonal breeder, arthropod-feeder on sheltered waterways, solitary or in dispersed pairs, feeds by diving from vantage perches low over water, nests in tunnels in banks beside water, both sexes share nidificational duties.

 

General References

Clancy, G. 1980. Azure Kingfisher Display. Australian Birds 14: 56 (behaviour)

Keast, D. 1977. Unusual sightings of Azure Kingfisher. Corella 1: 80-81 (distribution)

Marshall, A.J. 1931. The Azure Kingfisher. The Emu 31: 44-47 (feeding, habitat, nidification and nesting behaviour)

Schodde, R. & Mason, I.J. 1976. Infra-specific variation in Alcedo azurea Latham (Alcedinidae). The Emu 76: 161-166 (plumages, age classes, distribution, taxonomy)

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
17-Jun-2011 MODIFIED