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P E L A R G O P S I S G U R I A L .
( IN D IA N S TO RK -B ILL ED K IN G F ISH E R .)
Halcyon gurial
Pelargopsis gurial .
Halcyon capensis
Halcyon Irunniccps .
Halcyon Uucocephalm
Pears. Jomn. As. Soc. Beng. 1841, p. 633 (descr. orig.) ; Blyth, Cat. Birds
Mus. As. Soe. Beng. p. 47 (1849); Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av. I, p.
155 (1850) ; Irby, Ibis, 1861, p. 228 ; BUdh, Ibis, 1865, p. 30.
Eeich. Handb. Alced. p. 16, t. ccccxxvi (1851).
Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. th. II , p. 156 (1860) ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 60.
Jerd. Madr. Journ. 1840, p. 231 ; Blyth, Ann. Nat. Hist. X U. p. 94 (1843).
Jerd. Madi’. Joum. 1844, p. 143.
(pai’t.) Horsf. & Moore, Cat. Birds Mus. E. I. Co. p. 123 (1854).
Jerdon, Birds of India, I. p. 222 (1862); Day, Land of P e ra . p. 460
(1863); Beav. Ibis, 1865, p. 407 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 347.
Gurial of the Bengalese (Pearson).
Mala-poyma of the natives of Malabar (Jerdon).
P. rostro rubro ; scapularibus viridi-eyaneis ; capite distincte pileato, saturate brunneo, haud cyaneo lavato.
Hah. in sub-regione Indicâ.
Head d a rk chocolate-brown ; sides o f the neck and a collar encircling th e same pale
ochre ; u pper portion o f the hack and scapularies dull green, r e s t of th e back rich greenish
cobalt; wing-coverts duU g reen w ith a faint blue lu stre; quills b lack, th e in n er web yellowish
white a t the base, the o u ter edge o f th e whole o f the feathers greenish blue ; tail greenish
blue above, black ben eath ; u n d e r surface o f the body ochre, p alest on the tiu’o a t; bill very
d a rk sealing-wax red ; feet dull red . Total len g th 14 hiches, of b ill from fro n t 3 ‘1, from
gape 3 ’7, wing 6'4, tail 3'6 , tarsu s 0 ’5, middle toe ! •!, hin d toe 0-5.
Hah. A ll India, from the extreme south to Bengal and Ceylon ; common in Malabar ;
rare ly seen in the Carnatic and u pon the table-land ; occasionally found in Central India
and the No rth ern Circars ; most abundant in Bengal, b u t apparently n o t found, o r rare , in
the n o rth -west (Jerdon.).
This Kingfisher is easily distinguished from all the o th er members o f the genus by its
d istin c t d a rk hro\vn cap. In Assam aud Nepal a race occurs which h as a slig h tly lig h ter
cap, b u t beyond tliis sub-species bird s from all p a rts o f India are identical.
“ In Cochin,” says Dr. Day (I.e.), “ the stro n g as well as handsome Gurial Kingfisher is
found near the g h au ts ; it is v e iy wary, and its flight g rea tly resembles th a t o f the Alcedo
bengalensis.”