NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Niau Kingfisher
Todiramphus gertrudae Murphy, 1924
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Niau kingfisher (Todiramphus gertrudae) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to the island of Niau in French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, plantations and rural gardens. Only 125 individuals remain in the wild.
The introduction of other competitive species (such as Felis catus) into the kingfishers habitat led to their decrease in population because of competition for the same food sources. Removal of the new species would likely result in a recovery of the Kingfisher population, at least in the most populated areas.
Clements has merged this bird with the Mangareva kingfisher.
Wikipedia contributors, Niau kingfisher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:45:56.499795+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Todiramphus gertrudae Murphy, 1924
- Name authority
- Murphy, 1924
- Common name
- Niau Kingfisher
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Genus
- Todiramphus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCoraciiformes
- familyAlcedinidae
- subfamilyHalcyoninae
- genusTodiramphus R. Lesson, 1827
- speciesTodiramphus gertrudae Murphy, 1924
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Todiramphus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Lazuli KingfisherTodiramphus lazuli (Temminck, 1830) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cinnamon-banded KingfisherTodiramphus australasia (Vieillot, 1818) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sombre KingfisherTodiramphus funebris Bonaparte, 1850 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Talaud KingfisherTodiramphus enigma (E. Hartert, 1904) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Vanuatu KingfisherTodiramphus farquhari (Sharpe, 1899) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-and-white KingfisherTodiramphus diops (Temminck, 1824) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Society KingfisherTodiramphus veneratus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rufous-lored KingfisherTodiramphus winchelli (Sharpe, 1877) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chattering KingfisherTodiramphus tutus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ultramarine KingfisherTodiramphus leucopygius (J. Verreaux, 1858) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-black KingfisherTodiramphus nigrocyaneus (Wallace, 1862) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pacific KingfisherTodiramphus sacer (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Todiramphus gambieri gertrudae Murphy, 1924 Murphy, 1924 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1174569 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:8VDTG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.