Australia (B), Bangladesh, Bhutan (B), Brunei Darussalam (B), Cambodia (B), China (mainland) (B), Hong Kong (China) (B), India (B), Indonesia (B), Japan (B), Laos (B), Malaysia (B), Micronesia [Federated States of] (NB), Myanmar (B), Nepal (B), North Korea (B), Palau (NB), Papua New Guinea (B), Philippines (B), Russia (Asian) (B), Singapore (B), Solomon Islands (B), South Korea (B), Sri Lanka (B), Taiwan (China), Thailand (B), Timor-Leste (B) (NB), Vietnam (B).
Northern and eastern Australia. Winters in north of Australia in the Moluccas, Celebes, New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago. A straggler to South Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and Lord Howe Island.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Food
Large flying insects, especially beetles, wasps, ants, cicadas and grasshoppers.
Voice
A harsh, guttural, 'kak, kak, kak-kak-kak-kak-kak'. A horse noisy 'shroak' or 'grek'. A cackling 'ge ge gegegegegegege' or shorter 'cher-cher' uttered in flight.
Nest
In a hole in a dead tree, always at a considerable height above the ground.
Eggs (Guide)
3 - 5, usually 4; glossy, translucent white; oval; about 37 x 29 mm. Incubation: probably by both sexes.
Young
Fed by both parents.
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Azure Dollarbird (Eurystomus azureus). Sometimes treated as conspecific with Azure Dollarbird (Eurystomus azureus).
Nominate and subspecies calonyx intergrade in areas of southern China and northern Indochina, and intermediate birds from northern Thailand have sometimes been placed in subspecies deignani. Proposed subspecies latouchei from north-eastern China considered inseparable from calonyx; cyanocollis is synonym of nominate, abundus is synonym of calonyx.
Wallacean birds from southern Sulawesi and Lesser Sundas, described as subspecies connectens, appear intermediate between orientalis and pacificus but variable, with some individuals inseparable from latter. In past, birds of north-western Australia occasionally separated as subspecies bravi.
The following 12 subspecies are recognised:
calonyx Sharpe, 1890 - Northern India (Garhwal, northern Assam, northern Cachar) and Nepal to eastern China (north to Manchuria), south-eastern Russian Far East (to lower R Amur) and Japan (Honshu to Kyushu). Winters south to southern Asia and Greater Sundas.
orientalis (Linnaeus, 1766) - North-eastern India (southern Assam), Myanmar and Indochina south to Greater Sundas, Philippines and Ryukyu Is, with single breeding record (probably this race) from Dagasuli in Loloda Is (off north-western Halmahera, northern Moluccas). Winters southern and east to northern Sulawesi and Moluccas.
laetior Sharpe, 1890 - South-western India (Western Ghats southern into Kerala).
irisi Deraniyagala, 1951 - South-central Sri Lanka.
gigas Stresemann, 1913 - Southern Andaman Is.
oberholseri Junge, 1936 - Simeulue I, off north-western Sumatra.
waigiouensis Elliot, DG, 1871 - New Guinea, including Karkar, Bagabag, western Papuan Is, Yapen, Rook, Trobriand Is, D'Entrecasteaux and Louisiade Archipelagos.
crassirostris Sclater, PL, 1869 - Bismarck Archipelago.
solomonensis Sharpe, 1890 - Solomon Is (Bougainville, Buka, Feni, Guadalcanal, Ulawa, Uki and San Cristobal, probably also Nissan I).
pacificus (Latham, 1801) - Lesser Sundas and northern and eastern Australia, probably also southern Sulawesi and Sula Is; southern populations winter north to New Guinea and Wallacea.
cyanocollis Vieillot, 1819 - Himalayas to China, Manchuria and Korea. Winters to Indonesia.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet