Rusty-capped kingfisher

The rusty-capped kingfisher or Palau kingfisher (Todiramphus pelewensis) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to Palau.^[2] The natural habitat of this species is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Micronesian kingfisher.

Rusty-capped kingfisher
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Alcedinidae
Subfamily:	Halcyoninae
Genus:	Todiramphus
Species:	T. pelewensis
Binomial name
Todiramphus pelewensis (Wiglesworth, 1891)

This is a brilliantly colored, medium-sized kingfisher. Adults are characterized by white underparts with long black eyestripes, while juveniles are cinnamon below. They have large laterally-flattened bills and dark legs. Kingfishers defend permanent territories as breeding pairs and family groups. Both sexes care for young, and some offspring remain with parents for extended periods.^[3]

Little has been published about the status of rusty-capped kingfisher populations, although the US Fish and Wildlife Service has bird survey data for the region.^[4][5]