Talk:Pied Kingfisher

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This species is believed, on the basis of genetics, to be descended from an ancestral American green kingfisher which crossed the Atlantic Ocean about 1 million years ago.

Removed above section... appears odd, since related species are found in Africa, Northern India (Megaceryle). Please put it back with citation if needed. Shyamal 03:31, 15 December 2005 (UTC)

If you refer to Water Kingfisher, it gives a clearer picture. This is actually one of the more straightforward kingfisher ancestries compared to the other two more taxonomically complex families. The six American species are descended from an River kingfisher that crossed the Bering Straits. Later, at two different times, water kingfishers crossed the Atlantic to produce the ancestral Pied Kingfisher, and the ancestor of the Giant and Crested Kingfishers.

In this context, the Atlantic is not the insuperable barrier it might seem for large kingfishers. Belted Kingfisher is a rare vagrant to western Europe, and there was one in the UK this year.

Hope this clarifies, jimfbleak 07:41, 15 December 2005 (UTC)