Alcedinidae
Họ Bồng chanh

General names

The following is based on analysis of dictionaries and other sources. Comments and corrections are welcome.

Note on Vietnamese naming: With the exception of ducks and chickens, it is common for Vietnamese bird names to be preceded by the word Chim meaning 'bird', although it is normally omitted in Vietnamese bird lists. All bird names, whether they include chim or not, can be preceded by the classifier con, which is used for living creatures.

Vietnamese has a variety of names for kingfishers. It is unclear how differentiated these names were in their "natural state", but naturalists now draw quite clear nomenclatural distinctions between subfamilies -- or in the case of Sibley and Monroe, families (Halcyonidae, Alcedinidae, and Cerylidae).

One name for kingfishers is Chim sả, which occurs in a number of variants: Chim sả sả, Chim sa sả, and Chim trả. To add to the variety, the spellings xả and chả are sometimes used in place of sả and trả respectively. Some of these names are regional (e.g., Chim sa sả is used in Central and Southern Vietnam). This name appears to apply to the halcyon kingfishers, as màu cánh trả 'kingfisher-wing colour' refers to the colour emerald or emerald green in Vietnamese. Another term is Chim sáo.

Another name for the kingfishers is Chim bói cá possibly meaning 'fish-divining bird'. The term Chim bồng chanh or alternatively Chim bói cá sông 'river bói cábird' possibly refers to the Alcedinid (or river) kingfishers.

There are also the Chinese loan words Thúy điểu (from 翠鳥 cuì-niǎo), Chim thuý (also from 翠鳥 cuì-niǎo), and Chim phí thuý (from 翡翠 fěi-cuì), which may refer to the halcyonid or alcedinid kingfishers. Another name that appears to relate to the alcedinid kingfishers is Chim thằng chài (possibly 'fisher-boy bird'). And there is a rather mysterious name used in northern dialects, Chim đồng cốt, literally meaning 'witchcraft bird' or 'medium bird'.

These names are applied by naturalists as follows:

Chữ Nôm

Characters used for alcedinids in the now obsolete Chữ Nôm characters include:

Name	Chữ Nôm Images from the Vietnamese Nôm Preservation Foundation dictionary. (Errors are the sole responsibility of the author of this site)
Sả	or
Bói cá

Species names

ABOUT THIS TABLE (Hover cursor to see)

HALCYONINAE SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN VIETNAMESE EAST ASIAN S. E. ASIAN Lacedo                 Latin English/French Vietnamese Other V Chinese (incl. Taiwan) Japanese Thai Malaysian Indonesian Lacedo pulchella Banded kingfisher Martin-chasseur mignon Chim Sả vằn 'striped sả bird'   横斑翠鸟 (橫斑翠鳥) héng-bān cuì-niǎo 'horizontal-striped cuì bird' (4) 斑翠鸟 (斑翠鳥) bān cuì-niǎo 'striped cuì bird' (5) カザリショウビン (飾り翡翠) kazari shōbin 'decorative shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') นกกะเต็นลาย nók kà-ten laay 'striped kingfisher (bird)' Burung Pekaka Rimba 'jungle bright-kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (26) (Conflicts with Ceyx erithacus and Actenoides concretus) or Burung Kaing-Kaing Bukit 'hill kaing-kaing bird' (onomat., from species call) (Alternative in 26) Burung Pekaka Kaing-Kaing 'kaing-kaing kingfisher bird' (onomat., kaing-kaing from species call) (25) Burung Pekaka Riang Rimba 'jungle bright-kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (24) Burung Cekakak Batu 'rock kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) Pelargopsis                 Latin English/French Vietnamese Other V Chinese (incl. Taiwan) Japanese Thai Malaysian Indonesian Pelargopsis capensis Halcyon capensis Stork-billed kingfisher Martin-chasseur gurial Chim Sả mỏ rộng 'large-billed sả bird'   鹳嘴翡翠 (鸛嘴翠鳥) guàn-zuǐ fěicuì 'stork-billed fěicuì' コウハシショウビン (鸛嘴翡翠) kō-hashi shōbin 'stork-billed shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') นกกะเต็นใหญ่ธรรมดา nók kà-ten yày tʰam-ma-daa 'common large kingfisher (bird)' Burung Pekaka Emas 'gold kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (26) or Burung Buaya 'crocodile bird' (Alternative in 26) (Conflicts with P. amauroptera) Burung Pekaka Buaya 'crocodile kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (25) Burung Pekaka Paruh Besar 'large-billed kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (24) Burung Pekaka Emas 'gold kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) Name Halcyon                 Latin English/French Vietnamese Other V Chinese (incl. Taiwan) Japanese Thai Malaysian Indonesian Halcyon coromanda Ruddy kingfisher Martin-chasseur violet Chim Sả hung 'reddish sả bird'   赤翡翠 (赤翡翠) chì fěicuì 'red fěicuì' Taiwan: (赤翡翠) 赤翡翠 chì fěicuì 'red fěicuì' アカショウビン (赤翡翠) aka shōbin 'red shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') นกกะเต็นแดง nók kà-ten daeeŋ 'red kingfisher (bird)' Burung Pekaka Ungu 'purple kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (26) Burung Pekaka Belacan 'speckled kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (24, 25) Burung Cekakak Merah 'red kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) Halcyon smyrnensis White-throated kingfisher White-breasted kingfisher Smyrna Kingfisher Martin-chasseur de Smyrne Chim Sả đầu nâu 'brown-headed sả bird'   白胸翡翠 (白胸翡翠) bái-xiōng fěicuì 'white-breasted fěicuì' Taiwan: (苍翡翠) 蒼翡翠 cāng fěicuì 'darkblue fěicuì' アオショウビン (青翡翠) ao shōbin 'blue/green shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') นกกะเต็นอกขาว nók kà-ten kʰoaa-kʰăaw 'white-throated kingfisher (bird)' Burung Pekaka Dada Putih 'white-breasted kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (26) Burung Pekaka Belukar 'thicket kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (24) Burung Pekaka Dusun 'backwoods kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (25) Burung Cekakak Belukar 'thicket kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) Halcyon pileata Black-capped kingfisher Martin-chasseur à coiffe noire Chim Sả đầu đen 'black-headed sả bird'   蓝翡翠 (藍翡翠) lán fěicuì 'blue fěicuì' Taiwan: (黑头翡翠) 黑頭翡翠 hēi-tóu fěicuì 'black-headed fěicuì' ヤマショウビン (山翡翠) yama shōbin 'mountain shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') นกกะเต็นหัวดำ nók kà-ten hŭa-dam 'black-headed kingfisher (bird)' Burung Pekaka Kepala Hitam 'black-headed kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (26) Burung Pekaka Kopiah Hitam 'black-capped kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (24, 25) Burung Cekakak Cina 'Chinese kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) Todiramphus                 Latin English/French Vietnamese Other V Chinese (incl. Taiwan) Japanese Thai Malaysian Indonesian Todiramphus chloris Todirhamphus chloris Halcyon chloris Collared kingfisher White-collared kingfisher Martin-chasseur à collier blanc Chim Sả khoang cổ 'streak-necked sả bird'   白领翡翠 (白領翡翠) bái-lǐng fěicuì 'white-collared fěicuì' Taiwan: (白领翡翠) 白領翡翠 bái-lǐng fěicuì 'white-collared fěicuì' 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') นกกินเปี้ยว nók kin-pîaw 'fiddler-crab eating bird' Burung Pekaka Bakau 'mangrove kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (26, 25) Burung Pekaka Sungai 'river kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (24) Burung Cekakak Sungai 'river kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.)

ALCEDININAE SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN VIETNAMESE EAST ASIAN S. E. ASIAN Ceyx                 Latin English/French Vietnamese Other V Chinese (incl. Taiwan) Japanese Thai Malaysian Indonesian Ceyx erithaca Ceyx erithacus Oriental dwarf kingfisher Three-toed kingfisher Martin-pêcheur pourpré Chim Bồng chanh đỏ 'red bồng chanh bird'   三趾翠鸟 (三趾翠鳥) sān-zhǐ cuì-niǎo 'three-toed cuì bird' Taiwan: (三趾翠鸟) 三趾翠鳥 sān-zhǐ cuì-niǎo 'three-toed cuì bird' ミツユビカワセミ (三つ趾翡翠 ~ 三つ趾川蝉 ~ 三つ趾魚狗) 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) นกกะเต็นน้อยหลังดำ nók kà-ten nóaay lăŋ-dam 'black-backed little kingfisher (bird)' Burung Pekaka Api 'fire kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (26) Burung Pekaka Rimba 'jungle kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (24) (Conflicts with Lacedo pulchella and Actenoides concretus) Burung Pekaka Sepah 'scarlet kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (25) Burung Udang Api 'fire shrimp-bird' Alcedo                 Latin English/French Vietnamese Other V Chinese (incl. Taiwan) Japanese Thai Malaysian Indonesian Alcedo meninting Blue-eared kingfisher Martin-pêcheur méninting Chim Bồng chanh tai xanh 'blue/green-eared bồng chanh bird'   蓝耳翠鸟 (藍耳翠鳥) lán-ěr cuì-niǎo 'blue-eared cuì bird' ルリカワセミ (瑠璃翡翠 ~ 瑠璃川蝉 ~ 瑠璃魚狗 ~ 琉璃翡翠 ~ 琉璃川蝉 ~ 琉璃魚狗) ruri kawa-semi 'lapis lazuli river kingfisher' (ruri written 瑠璃 or 琉璃; kawa-semi written with 1. the characters 翡翠 hisui 'kingfisher', 2. 'river cicada', or 3. 魚狗 'fish-dog', from Chinese) นกกะเต็นน้อยหลังสีน้ำเงิน nók kà-ten nóaay lăŋ-sĭi-nám-ŋoen 'blue-backed little kingfisher (bird)' Burung Pekaka Bintik-bintik 'freckled kingfisher (bird)' (onomat.) (24, 25) Burung Binti-Binti 'freckled bird' (26) Burung Raja-udang Meninting 'forktail shrimp-king-bird' Alcedo atthis Common kingfisher River kingfisher Martin-pêcheur d'Europe Chim Bồng chanh 'bồng chanh bird'   普通翠鸟 (普通翠鳥) pǔtōng cuì-niǎo 'common cuì bird' Taiwan: (翠鸟) 翠鳥 cuì-niǎo '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) นกกะเต็นน้อยธรรมดา nók kà-ten nóaay tʰam-ma-daa 'common little kingfisher (bird)' Burung Raja Udang 'shrimp-king bird' (26) Burung Pekaka Cit-cit Kecil 'small cit-cit kingfisher (bird)' (onomat., cit-cit is from species call) (24) Burung Pekaka Cit-cit 'cit-cit kingfisher (bird)' (onomat., cit-cit is from species call) (25) Burung Raja-udang Erasia 'Eurasian shrimp-king-bird' Alcedo hercules Blyth's kingfisher Martin-pêcheur de Blyth Chim Bồng chanh rừng 'forest bồng chanh bird'   斑头大翠鸟 (斑頭大翠鳥) bān-tóu dà cuì-niǎo 'stripe-headed large cuì bird' オオカワセミ (大翡翠 ~ 大川蝉 ~ 大魚狗) ō kawa-semi 'large river kingfisher' (kawa-semi written with 1. the characters 翡翠 hisui 'kingfisher', 2. 'river cicada', or 3. 魚狗 'fish-dog', from Chinese) นกกะเต็นเฮอคิวลิส nók kà-ten hoee-kʰiw-lít 'Hercules kingfisher (bird)' (from English 'Hercules')

CERYLINAE SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN VIETNAMESE EAST ASIAN S. E. ASIAN Megaceryle                 Latin English/French Vietnamese Other V Chinese (incl. Taiwan) Japanese Thai Malaysian Indonesian Megaceryle lugubris Ceryle lugubris Crested kingfisher Greater pied kingfisher Crested pied kingfisher Pied kingfisher Martin-pêcheur tacheté Chim Bói cá lớn 'large bói cá'   冠鱼狗 (冠魚狗) guān yú-gǒu 'crested fish-dog' ヤマセミ (山翡翠 ~ 山魚狗) yama-semi 'mountain kingfisher' (written 1. 山 'mountain' + 翡翠 'kingfisher', from Chinese, or 2. 山 'mountain' + 魚狗 'fish-dog' from Chinese) นกกะเต็นขาวดำใหญ่ nók kà-ten kʰăaw-dam yày 'large black (&) white kingfisher (bird)'     Ceryle                 Latin English/French Vietnamese Other V Chinese (incl. Taiwan) Japanese Thai Malaysian Indonesian Ceryle rudis Pied kingfisher Lesser pied kingfisher Alcyon pie Chim Bói cá nhỏ 'small bói cá'   斑鱼狗 (斑魚狗) bān yú-gǒu 'striped fish-dog' Taiwan: (斑翡翠) 斑翡翠 bān fěicuì 'striped fěicuì' 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) นกกะเต็นปักหลัก nók kà-ten pàk-làk 'hoverer-kingfisher (bird)'

Floating Menu by Milonic

TOP

Tool tips by Walter Zorn