Sacred Kingfisher
The sacred kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus) is a medium-sized woodland kingfisher that occurs in mangroves, woodlands, forests and river valleys in Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the western Pacific. == Taxonomy == The binomial name Halcyon sanctus was introduced by Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827 who described a sacred kingfisher zoological specimen from New Holland, Australia. Vigors and Horsfield compare it with Alcedo sacra described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788. Gmelin in turn based his description on John Latham's "Sacred King's Fisher" published in 1782. Latham described several varieties, one of which was illustrated in Arthur Phillip's The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay published in 1789. The genus Halcyon was split and the sacred kingfisher was placed in the genus Todiramphus that had been erected by the French surgeon and naturalist René Lesson in 1827. The generic name is derived from the genus Todus (Brisson, 1760), 'tody' (a West Indian insectivorous bird) and Ancient Greek rhamphos (ῥάμφος), 'bill'. The specific epithet is the Latin sanctus 'sacred'. Five subspecies are recognised: T. s. sanctus (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) – Australia to eastern Solomon Islands, New Guinea and Indonesia T. s. vagans (Lesson, 1828) –…
Wickham National Park
Brisbane, Australia
+123 birds+30 mammals
Rugged sandstone plateaus rise dramatically across this compact yet ecologically rich corner of Western Australia’s Kimberley region, where ancient weathered […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKakadu National Park
Kakadu, Australia
+130 birds+20 mammals
Kakadu National Park is Australia’s largest national park and one of the world’s most remarkable protected areas, covering nearly 20,000 […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKDaintree National Park
Dedin, Australia
+125 birds+30 mammals
Daintree National Park is one of the world’s oldest and most biologically diverse tropical rainforests, protecting an extraordinary landscape where […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGreater Bendigo National Park
Bendigo, Australia
+135 birds+16 mammals
Where granite tors pierce the undulating woodlands of central Victoria, a landscape of surprising ecological complexity unfolds across nearly 1,100 […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKChiltern-Mt Pilot National Park
Australia
+135 birds+17 mammals
Where granite peaks rise sharply above undulating eucalypt woodlands, the landscape reveals a mosaic of ecological treasures spanning nearly 870 […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKIkara-Flinders Ranges National Park
Australia
+83 birds+9 mammals
Where ancient ridges rise in rust-red waves across South Australia’s heartland, one of the continent’s most dramatic mountain ranges unfolds […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKinglake National Park
Australia
+106 birds+22 mammals
Where eucalyptus-clad ridges rise above fern-filled gullies, the landscape unfolds in a patchwork of wet forest, dry sclerophyll woodland, and […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLower Glenelg National Park
Australia
+64 birds+11 mammals
Where limestone cliffs plunge toward tannin-stained waters, South Australia’s southwestern frontier reveals one of the continent’s most sculptured wilderness areas. […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBudj Bim National Park
Australia
+60 birds+11 mammals
Where volcanic plains meet lava-carved gorges, one of Australia’s most geologically dramatic landscapes unfolds across 184 square kilometres of southwestern […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSpringbrook National Park
Australia
+131 birds+30 mammals
Where subtropical rainforest cascades down steep volcanic escarpments and mist clings to ancient tree ferns, one of Australia’s most biodiverse […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSydney Harbour National Park
Sydney, Australia
+131 birds+21 mammals
Crystalline waters lap against weathered sandstone headlands where native bushland clings to steep escarpments overlooking one of the world’s most […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKRoyal National Park
Sydney, Australia
+133 birds+24 mammals
Sandstone cliffs plunge toward the Tasman Sea along New South Wales’ southern coast, where Royal National Park unfolds across 343 […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLittle Desert National Park
Australia
+107 birds+7 mammals
Where red sand dunes roll beneath a vast Australian sky, mallee scrubland stretches across 2,609 square kilometres of northwestern Victoria. […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBelair National Park
Adelaide, Australia
+132 birds+19 mammals
Where the Adelaide Hills rise dramatically from the surrounding plains, eucalyptus woodlands of remarkable diversity cloak a landscape sculpted by […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCleland National Park
Australia
+95 birds+12 mammals
Where eucalyptus woodlands rise across the Adelaide Hills, a compact sanctuary of roughly twenty square kilometers preserves one of South […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLincoln National Park
Australia
+103 birds+4 mammals
Where windswept coastlines meet ochre cliffs along South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, nearly 2,700 square kilometers of wild country unfold in […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCoffin Bay National Park
Australia
+82 birds+6 mammals
Where the Eyre Peninsula reaches toward the Southern Ocean, windswept dunes and sheltered inlets create a landscape of remarkable ecological […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNaracoorte Caves National Park
Australia
+119 birds+14 mammals
Limestone pavements and sinkhole forests define this 53-square-kilometre sanctuary in South Australia’s southeast, where ancient cave systems plunge deep into […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLockyer National Park
Australia
+127 birds+30 mammals
Where volcanic ridges meet subtropical woodland, a mosaic of eucalypt forest and grassy woodland unfolds across southeastern Queensland’s hidden gem. […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAnnan River (Yuku Baja-Muliku) National Park
Australia
+63 birds+2 mammals
Granite peaks rise dramatically from tropical lowlands where the Annan River carves through pristine wilderness in Far North Queensland. This […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKRinyirru National Park
Lakefield, Australia
+141 birds+6 mammals
Where granite outcrops pierce windswept savanna and seasonal floodplains stretch toward the horizon, Australia’s northeastern extremity harbors one of the […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKulla National Park
Coen, Australia
+52 birds+4 mammals
Granite peaks thrust dramatically from dense tropical rainforest across this vast wilderness of Cape York Peninsula, where ancient weathered ranges […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBald Rock National Park
Australia
+123 birds+26 mammals
Where granite peaks thrust skyward across the New England Tablelands, weathered stone and eucalypt woodland meet in a landscape of […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGirraween National Park
Australia
+121 birds+22 mammals
Where granite boulders the size of cathedrals rise from eucalypt woodland, Queensland’s Southern Downs reveal one of Australia’s most geologically […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMorton National Park
Australia
+125 birds+27 mammals
Where sandstone cliffs plunge into temperate rainforest and eucalypt woodlands blanket the New South Wales highlands, Morton National Park sprawls […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKHeathcote National Park
Sydney, Australia
+131 birds+26 mammals
Where sandstone ridges rise above eucalyptus woodlands and crystalline creeks carve through ancient valleys, one of Victoria’s most underrated wilderness […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGlass House Mountains National Park
Australia
+129 birds+30 mammals
Volcanic peaks thrust skyward across the Queensland hinterland, their steep-sided summits sculpted from ancient lava flows and weathered by millions […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWilsons Promontory National Park
Australia
+125 birds+20 mammals
Granite peaks thrust skyward from Victoria’s southeastern tip, where windswept heathlands roll toward pristine coastlines carved by relentless Southern Ocean […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKFitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park, Australia
+98 birds+6 mammals
Where granite peaks rise above windswept heathlands and pristine river systems carve through untamed wilderness, one of Australia’s most biodiverse […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWhitsunday Islands National Park
Whitsundays, Australia
+59 birds+1 mammals
Crystalline waters lap against seventy-four islands where rainforest canopies tumble down to pristine beaches and coral gardens flourish in the […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTaman Nasional Baluran
Situbondo, Indonesia
+86 birds+13 mammals
Where savanna grasslands sweep toward volcanic slopes and mangrove-lined coastlines converge, East Java’s most biodiverse protected landscape unfolds across nearly […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWest Bali National Park
Gerokgak, Indonesia
+142 birds+12 mammals
Where limestone cliffs plunge into crystalline waters and monsoon forests cling to volcanic slopes, Indonesia’s northwestern frontier reveals one of […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAketajawe Lolobata National Park
Halmahera Timur, Indonesia
+109 birds+7 mammals
Where rugged volcanic plateaus rise above the Halmahera seascape, one of Indonesia’s most biodiverse reserves sprawls across nearly 14,000 square […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKomodo National Park
Komodo, Indonesia
+69 birds+14 mammals
Where volcanic peaks rise dramatically from turquoise waters, a primordial landscape unfolds across three main islands and countless smaller ones […]
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