At 07:21 AM 11/8/96 -0800, you wrote:
>It has always fascinated me how female kingfishers are more colorful than
>the males. I wonder how many other birds fit this pattern? My National
>Geographic Guide shows the ringed kingfisher female having more markings
>than the male (not more color, however), and the green kingfisher with
>reversed roles (the male has the rust band). It also appears that some of
>the trogon species have more colorful females than males. Has anyone
>noticed other species with this trait?
>
>wjansen
>

One striking example is the eclectus parrot of New Guinea and adjacent
islands. The male is evenly green with varying amounts of yellow in the
tail depending on race, and the females are bright red and blue (or purple).
Early ornithologists thought they were two separate species because of this
extreme sexual dimorphism.
Greg Toffic
Woodland Park Zoo
206-684-4836 (W)
206-338-1746 (H)
gtoffic at halcyon.com