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 ('cui bird'), although ornithologists are attempt 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 fěicùi is a combination of two words:
翡 fěi = 赤羽雀 chì-yǔ què ('red-winged sparrow/finch'), a type of red-winged bird.
翠 cuì = 青羽雀 qīng-yǔ què (green/blue-winged sparrow/finch') 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 fěicùi with the precious stone rather than the bird.
The halcyonid and cerylid kingfishers are both called 翡翠 fěicùi 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 ('cui 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 |
Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
| Halcyon |
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Halcyon coromanda
 |
Ruddy kingfisher |
赤翡翠
chì fěicuì
'red feicui' |
赤翡翠
chì fěicuì
'red feicui' |
|
アカショウビン
(赤翡翠)
aka shōbin
'red shobin' |
ミズコイドリ
(水恋鳥)
mizu-koi-dori
'water love bird'
ミヤマショウビン
(深山翡翠)
miyama shōbin
'deep mountain shobin' |
호반새
hoban-sae
'lakeside (?) bird' |
Sả hung
'reddish sa' |
Halcyon smyrnensis
|
White-throated kingfisher
White-breasted kingfisher |
蒼翡翠
cāng fěicuì
'blue feicui' |
白胸翡翠
bái-xiōng fěicuì
'white-breasted feicui' |
魚狗
yú-gǒu
'fish dog' (officially used only for Cerylid kingfishers)
白胸魚狗
bái-xiōng yú-gǒu
'white-breasted fish dog'
魚虎
yú-hǔ
'fish tiger'
翠毛鳥
cuì-máo-niǎo
'kingfisher feather bird'
翠碧鳥
cuì-bì-niǎo
'kingfisher-blue-bird' |
アオショウビン
(青翡翠)
ao shōbin
'blue shobin' |
|
|
Sả đầu nâu
'brown-headed sa' |
Halcyon pileata
|
Black-capped kingfisher |
黑頭翡翠
hēi-tóu fěicuì
'black-headed feicui' |
藍翡翠
lán fěicuì
'blue feicui' |
藍翠鳥
lán cuì-niǎo
'blue kingfisher' (see Aledinid kingfishers)
藍翠毛
lán cuì-máo
'blue kingfisher feather'
喜鵲翠
xǐquè-cuì
'magpie kingfisher'
黑帽魚狗
hēi-mào yú-gǒu
'black-capped fish dog'
秦椒鳥
qín-jiāo-niǎo
'Qin pepper bird'
山鴗
shān-lì
'mountain kingfisher' |
ヤマショウビン
(山翡翠)
yama shōbin
'mountain shobin' |
|
청호반새
cheong-hoban-sae
'blue lakeside-bird' |
Sả đầu đen
'black-headed sa' |
| Todiramphus |
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Todiramphus chloris
Todirhamphus chloris
Halcyon chloris
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Collared kingfisher
White-collared kingfisher |
白領翡翠
bái-lǐng fěicuì
'white-collared feicui' |
白領翡翠
bái-lǐng fěicuì
'white-collared feicui' |
白領翠鳥
bái-lǐng cuì-niǎo
'white-collared cui bird' |
ナンヨウショウビン
(南洋翡翠)
Nan'yō shōbin
'south seas shobin' |
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Sả khoang cổ
'spotted necked sa' |
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| ALCEDININAE |
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
JAPANESE |
OTHER |
Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
| Ceyx |
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Ceyx erithaca
Ceyx erithacus
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Oriental dwarf kingfisher
Three-toed kingfisher |
三趾翠鳥
sān-zhǐ cuì-niǎo
'three-toed cui bird' |
三趾翠鳥
sān-zhǐ cuì-niǎo
'three-toed cui bird' |
小黄魚狗
xiǎo huáng yú-gǒu
'small yellow fish dog' |
ミツユビカワセミ
(三つ趾翡翠 or 三つ趾川蝉)
mitsu-yubi kawa-semi
'three-toed river kingfisher' |
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Bồng chanh đỏ
'red bong chanh' |
| Alcedo |
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Alcedo atthis
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Common kingfisher
River kingfisher |
翠鳥
cuì-niǎo
'cui bird' |
普通翠鳥
pǔtōng cuì-niǎo
'common cui bird'
|
翡翠
fěicuì
'feicui'
小翠魚狗
xiǎo cuì yú-gǒu
'small cui fish dog'
小翠鳥
xiǎo cuì-niǎo
'small cui bird'
魚狗
yú-gǒu
'fish dog'
小魚狗
xiǎo yú-gǒu
'small fish dog'
天狗
tiān-gǒu
'heaven dog'
水狗
shuǐ-gǒu
'water dog'
水雀
shuǐ-qiǎo
'water finch/sparrow'
翠雀兒
cuì-qiǎor
'cui finch/sparrow' (Northern)
釣魚郎
diào-yú-láng
'fisherman'
打魚郎
dǎ-yú-láng
'fisherman'
金鳥仔
jīn niǎo zǎi
'golden bird' (Southern)
魚虎
yú-hǔ
'fish tiger' (Materia Medica)
翊
yì
'yi' (literary)
鴗
lì
'li' (old)
翠碧鳥
cuìbì-niǎo
'cui blue bird'
魚師
yú-shī
'fisher'
翠奴
cuì-nǔ
'cui fellow'
信天缘
xìn-tiān-yuán
'believe heaven fate ?'
青翰
qīng-hàn
'blue '
青庄
qīng-zhuāng
'blue fields'
青羽雀
qīng yǔ què
'blue-feathered finch'
衔魚翠鳥
xián-yú cuì-niǎo
'hold fish cui bird' |
カワセミ
(翡翠 or 川蝉)
kawa-semi
'river kingfisher' (written with either the characters for hisui or for 'river cicada') |
ヒスイ
(翡翠)
hisui
from Chinese fěicùi;
also means 'jadeite'
ショウビン
(翡翠)
shōbin
'shobin', 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' |
Bồng chanh
'bong chanh' |
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| CERYLINAE |
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
JAPANESE |
OTHER |
Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
| Ceryle |
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Ceryle rudis
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Pied kingfisher
Lesser pied kingfisher |
斑翡翠
bān fěicùi
'striped/spotted feicui' |
斑魚狗
bān yú-gǒu
'striped/spotted fish dog'
|
小啄魚
xiǎo zhuó-yú
'small catch-fish'
小花魚狗
xiǎo huā yú-gǒu
'small flowery fish dog'
花斑釣魚郎
huā bān diào-yú-láng
'flowery striped fisherman' |
ヒメヤマセミ
(姫山翡翠 or 姫山魚狗)
hime yama-semi
'princess mountain kingfisher' |
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Bói cá nhỏ
'small boi ca' |
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