HALCYON OMNICOLOR.
Many-coloured Kingfisher.
Alcedo melanoptera, Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 174.
Halcyon melanopterus, Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiii. p. 100.— Horsf. and Moore, Cat. of Birds in Mus.
East Ind. Comp., vol.i. p. 127.
Alcedo omnicolor, Temm. PL Col., 135.
Dacelo omnicolor, Less. T raite d’Ora. p. 247.
Halcyon melanoptera, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 79, Halcyon, sp. 18.—Gray, List of Birds in Coll.
Brit. Mus., p a rt ii. sec. 1, Fissirostres, p. 54.
-----------omnicolor, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 155, Halcyon, sp. 22.
Alcedo cyanoventris, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d’Hist. Nat., tom. six. p. 412.—Cassin, Cat. of Haleyonidfe in Coll. Acad.
Nat. Sci. Philadelphia.
A more appropriate name than omnicolor could scarcely have been given to this wonderfully coloured species
o f Kingfisher; for, on looking at the fine specimen now before me, it appears almost questionable whether it
has not been manufactured by some clever taxidermist out of two or three species, instead of being as real
and natural as any other member of the great family of which it forms a part. Were I strictly to follow the
law of priority with regard to specific appellations, I ought, perhaps, to have retained that of melanopterus
for this species; but, as nearly all the Halcyonidce have black shoulders, I have considered it advisable, like
Temminck and Bonaparte, to retain the more appropriate title of omnicolor. It is somewhat remarkable that
there should be no recorded information respecting the habits, economy, and range of so fine a species;
yet true it is that not a word has been written on the subject: we know that the island of Java is the
country whence th e specimens in our museums have been sent; and that is all. There appears to be little
or no difference in the colouring of the sexes; some specimens, however, have the brown of the throat, particularly
that part of it nearest the bill, of a much lighter colour than others,—a feature which may be
sexual or a mark of immaturity.
Nothing can be more lovely than the colours of this bird, or more delicately white than the inner webs of
its primaries, which mark is of course most conspicuous when the wing is spread, and then offers a striking
contrast to the green and black of the other part of the wings and tail; the upper surface is further varied
by the entire back and rump being of a smalt-blue, while the back of the neck is chestnut, with a narrow
band of blue separating that colour from the brownish-black of the head.
The following is a more minute description of this fine bird:—
Head and face dark umber-brown, deepening into blackish brown on the nape, below which is a narrow
crescentic band of deep glossy blue; this is succeeded by a broad band of rich chestnut, which passes round
the sides of the neck, and unites with the lighter chestnut of the throat and front of the neck; back, scapu-
laries, upper tail-coverts, abdomen, and flanks smalt-blue; breast-feathers chestnut, bordered with smalt-blue;
greater wing-coverts black; lesser wing-coverts verditer blue, edged with smalt blue; basal three-fourths of
the primaries white on their inner webs, verditer green on their outer webs, deepening into dark green
near the tips, which are black; this latter colour decreases in extent as the feathers approach the body;
secondaries black on their inner webs above, and on both webs beneath, the upper surface of the outer
web being verditer green, passing into bluer green as the feathers approach the body ; these bluer feathers
are crossed by indistinct bars of a deeper hue; there is also a line of dark green on the inner webs parallel
with the shaft, which is black; tail-feathers bluish emerald-green, glossed with verditer green on their outer
webs; shafts and under surface black; irides dark brown; bill coral-red; feet red.
The plate represents the bird (in flight) of the natural size, and a miniature figure in the distance.