General names
Information is based on dictionaries and other sources. Comments and corrections welcome.
The usual name for kingfishers in general usage is 翠鳥 cuì-niǎo 'cuì bird', although ornithologists are attempting to draw clear terminological distinctions among the halcyonid, alcedinid, and cerylid kingfishers.
Originally, the kingfishers were called 翡翠 fěicuì (sometimes 翡翠鳥 fěicuì-niǎo). According to one of China's earliest dictionaries, the Shuowen jiezi from the Han dynasty (206 BC - AD 220), the term 翡翠 fěicuì is a combination of two words:
翡 fěi = 赤羽雀 chì-yǔ què ('red-winged sparrow'), a type of red-winged bird.
翠 cuì = 青羽雀 qīng-yǔ què ('green/blue-winged sparrow') a type of blue or green-winged bird.
Presumably the term referred specifically to the halcyonid kingfishers, which have the distinctive colours implied by the name. The word 翡翠 fěicuì was later extended to mean 'jadeite', the favourite precious stone of the Chinese, which comes in red and green colours. In fact, Chinese speakers now generally identify 翡翠 fěicuì with the precious stone rather than the bird.
The halcyonid and cerylid kingfishers are both called 翡翠 fěicuì by Taiwanese ornithologists -- in Mainland China, the latter are distinguished as 魚狗 yú-gǒu 'fish-dog'.
Some other names exist for the halcyonid kingfishers, including 翠雀兒 cuì-qiǎor 'cuì sparrow' and 赤羽雀 chì-yǔ què (literally 'red-winged sparrow'). Other, older, names for the cerylid kingfishers include 鴗 lì or 鴗鳥 lì-niǎo 'li bird' and 天狗 tiān-gǒu 'heaven dog'.
Species names
| HALCYONINAE |
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
JAPANESE |
OTHER |
| Halcyon |
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Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Halcyon coromanda
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Ruddy kingfisher |
赤翡翠
(赤翡翠)
chì fěicuì
'red fěicuì' |
(赤翡翠)
赤翡翠
chì fěicuì
'red fěicuì' |
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アカショウビン
(赤翡翠)
aka shōbin
'red shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') |
ミズコイドリ
(水恋鳥)
mizu-koi-dori
'love-water bird'
ミヤマショウビン
(深山翡翠)
miyama shōbin
'deep mountain shōbin' |
호반새
hoban-sae
'lakeside (?) bird' |
Chim Sả hung
'reddish sả bird' |
Halcyon smyrnensis
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White-throated kingfisher
White-breasted kingfisher |
蒼翡翠
(苍翡翠)
cāng fěicuì
'darkblue fěicuì' |
(白胸翡翠)
白胸翡翠
bái-xiōng fěicuì
'white-breasted fěicuì' |
魚狗
(鱼狗)
yú-gǒu
'fish-dog' (officially used for Cerylid kingfishers)
白胸魚狗
(白胸鱼狗)
bái-xiōng yú-gǒu
'white-breasted fish-dog'
魚虎
(鱼虎)
yú-hǔ
'fish tiger'
翠毛鳥
(翠毛鸟)
cuì-máo-niǎo
'kingfisher feather bird'
翠碧鳥
(翠碧)
cuì-bì-niǎo
'kingfisher-blue-bird' |
アオショウビン
(青翡翠)
ao shōbin
'blue/green shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') |
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Chim Sả đầu nâu
'brown-headed sả bird' |
Halcyon pileata
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Black-capped kingfisher |
黑頭翡翠
(黑头翡翠)
hēi-tóu fěicuì
'black-headed fěicuì' |
(藍翡翠 )
蓝翡翠
lán fěicuì
'blue fěicuì' |
藍翠鳥
(蓝翠鸟)
lán cuì-niǎo
'blue kingfisher' (see Aledinid kingfishers)
藍翠毛
(蓝翠毛)
lán cuì-máo
'blue kingfisher feather'
喜鵲翠
(喜鹊翠)
xǐquè-cuì
'magpie kingfisher'
黑帽魚狗
(黑帽鱼狗)
hēi-mào yú-gǒu
'black-capped fish-dog'
秦椒鳥
(秦椒鸟)
qín-jiāo-niǎo
'Qin pepper bird'
山鴗
(山鴗)
shān-lì
'mountain kingfisher' |
ヤマショウビン
(山翡翠)
yama shōbin
'mountain shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') |
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청호반새
cheong-hoban-sae
'blue lakeside-bird' |
Chim Sả đầu đen
'black-headed sả bird' |
| Todiramphus |
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Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Todiramphus chloris
Todirhamphus chloris
Halcyon chloris
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Collared kingfisher
White-collared kingfisher |
白領翡翠
(白领翡翠)
bái-lǐng fěicuì
'white-collared fěicuì' |
(白領翡翠)
白领翡翠
bái-lǐng fěicuì
'white-collared fěicuì' |
白領翠鳥
(白领脆鸟)
bái-lǐng cuì-niǎo
'white-collared cuì bird' |
ナンヨウショウビン
(南洋翡翠)
nan'yō shōbin
'south seas shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') |
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Chim Sả khoang cổ
'streak-necked sả bird' |
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| ALCEDININAE |
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
JAPANESE |
OTHER |
| Ceyx |
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Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Ceyx erithaca
Ceyx erithacus
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Oriental dwarf kingfisher
Three-toed kingfisher |
三趾翠鳥
(三趾翠鸟)
sān-zhǐ cuì-niǎo
'three-toed cuì bird' |
(三趾翠鳥)
三趾翠鸟
sān-zhǐ cuì-niǎo
'three-toed cuì bird' |
小黄魚狗
(小黄鱼狗)
xiǎo huáng yú-gǒu
'small yellow fish-dog' |
ミツユビカワセミ
(三つ趾翡翠 ~ 三つ趾川蝉)
mitsu-yubi kawa-semi
'three-toed river kingfisher' (kawa-semi written with 1. the characters 翡翠 hisui 'kingfisher', 2. 'river cicada', or 3. 魚狗 'fish-dog', from Chinese) |
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Chim Bồng chanh đỏ
'red bồng chanh bird' |
| Alcedo |
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Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Alcedo atthis
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Common kingfisher
River kingfisher |
翠鳥
(翠鸟)
cuì-niǎo
'cuì bird' |
(普通翠鳥)
普通翠鸟
pǔtōng cuì-niǎo
'common cuì bird'
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翡翠
(翡翠)
fěicuì
'fěicuì'
小翠魚狗
(小翠鱼狗)
xiǎo cuì yú-gǒu
'small cuì fish-dog'
小翠鳥
(小翠鸟)
xiǎo cuì-niǎo
'small cuì bird'
魚狗
(鱼狗)
yú-gǒu
'fish-dog'
小魚狗
(小鱼狗)
xiǎo yú-gǒu
'small fish-dog'
天狗
(天狗)
tiān-gǒu
'heaven dog'
水狗
(水狗)
shuǐ-gǒu
'water dog'
水雀
(水雀)
shuǐ-qiǎo
'water sparrow'
翠雀兒
(翠雀儿)
cuì-qiǎor
'cuì sparrow' (Northern)
釣魚郎
(钓鱼郎)
diào-yú-láng
'fisherman'
打魚郎
(打鱼郎)
dǎ-yú-láng
'fisherman'
金鳥仔
(金鸟仔)
jīn niǎo zǎi
'golden bird' (Southern)
魚虎
(鱼虎)
yú-hǔ
'fish tiger' (Materia Medica)
翊
(翊)
yì
'yi' (literary)
鴗
(鴗)
lì
'li' (old)
翠碧鳥
(翠碧鸟)
cuìbì-niǎo
'cuì blue bird'
魚師
(鱼师)
yú-shī
'fisher'
翠奴
(翠奴)
cuì-nǔ
'cuì fellow'
信天緣
(信天缘)
xìn-tiān-yuán
'believe heaven fate' (also used for albatross)
青翰
(青翰)
qīng-hàn
'green/blue feathers'
青庄
(青庄)
qīng-zhuāng
'green fields'
青羽雀
(青羽雀)
qīng yǔ què
'green/blue-feathered sparrow'
銜魚翠鳥
(衔鱼翠鸟)
xián-yú cuì-niǎo
'hold fish cuì bird' |
カワセミ
(翡翠 ~ 川蝉 ~ 魚狗)
kawa-semi
'river kingfisher' (written with 1. the characters 翡翠 hisui 'kingfisher', 2. 'river cicada', or 3. 魚狗 'fish-dog', from Chinese) |
ヒスイ
(翡翠)
hisui
from Chinese fěicuì;
also means 'jadeite'
ショウビン
(翡翠)
shōbin
'shōbin', written with the characters for hisui
ソニドリ
(鴗)
soni-dori
'soni bird'(old name used as a poetic qualifier for 'blue')
ソニ
(鴗)
soni
'soni' (old name) |
물총새
mul-chong-sae
'water chong bird' |
Chim Bồng chanh
'bồng chanh bird' |
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| CERYLINAE |
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
JAPANESE |
OTHER |
| Ceryle |
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Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Ceryle rudis
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Pied kingfisher
Lesser pied kingfisher |
斑翡翠
(斑翡翠)
bān fěicuì
'striped fěicuì' |
(斑魚狗)
斑鱼狗
bān yú-gǒu
'striped fish-dog'
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小啄魚
(小啄鱼)
xiǎo zhuó-yú
'small peck-fish'
小花魚狗
(小花鱼狗)
xiǎo huā yú-gǒu
'small flowery fish-dog'
花斑釣魚郎
(花斑钓鱼廊)
huā bān diào-yú-láng
'flowery-striped fisherman' |
ヒメヤマセミ
(姫山翡翠 ~ 姫山魚狗)
hime yama-semi
'princess mountain kingfisher' (yama-semi written 1. 山 'mountain' + 翡翠 'kingfisher', from Chinese, or 2. 山 'mountain' + 魚狗 'fish-dog' from Chinese) |
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Chim Bói cá nhỏ
'small bói cá' |
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