Red-bearded Bee-eater

SCI Name:  Nyctyornis amictus
Protonym:  Merops amictus Pl.Col. livr.52 pl.310
Taxonomy:  Coraciiformes / Meropidae / Nyctyornis
Taxonomy Code:  rbbeat1
Type Locality:  Bencoolen, Sumatra.
Author:  Temminck
Publish Year:  1824
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

NYCTYORNIS
(Meropidae; Ϯ Red-bearded Bee-eater N. amicta) Gr. νυκτι- nukti-  night  < νυξ nux, νυκτος nuktos  night; ορνις ornis, ορνιθος ornithos  bird; "MEROPS ATHERTONI, (NOBIS).  Azure-throated Bee-eater  ...  According to his [Lt. J. Atherton's] notes which accompanied the bird, it is stated to be very scarce and rare, inhabiting the thickest jungles in the interior of India, and feeding by night, at which time it is very noisy, repeating frequently the short cry of curr, curr.  ...  ADDENDA.  ...  MEROPS ATHERTONI, PLATE 58.  Mr. SWAINSON has constituted this, with the M. Amictus of TEMMINCK, into a genus, under the title of Nytcyornis.  ...  It is placed by him among the Scansores, at the extremity of the Fissirostres, adjoining to Prionites:  NYCTYORNIS, Swain." (Jardine & Selby 1830); "Its genuine name, however, appears founded on erroneous information, as it feeds during the day, and the note of the Bucco viridis, seems to have been mistaken for that of this bird, which has a loud rolling warble" (Jerdon 1845); "Nyctyornis Swainson MS.¹ Jardine and Selby, Illustr. Orn., 2, 1830. Addenda, sign. D 2. Type, by diagnosis, Merops amictus Temminck.  ...  ¹ Not preoccupied by Nyctornis Nitzsch, 1829 (Caprimulgidae)." (Peters 1945, V, 238).
Var. Nycthiornis.
Synon. Alcemerops, Bucia, Napophila, Nyctinomus.

amictus
Gr. αμικτος amiktos  unsociable  < negative prefix α- a- ; μικτος miktos  mixed  < μιγνυμι mignumi  to mingle (cf. L. amictus  fashion, cloak, scarf  < amicire  to wrap round).

Amictus
(Maluridae; syn. Amytornis Ϯ Eyrean Grasswren A. goyderi) Gr. αμικτος amiktos  unsociable  < negative prefix α- a- ; μικτος miktos  mixed  < μιγνυμι mignumi  to mingle; doubtless a misspelling of genus Amytis; "Referring again to the species you have just sent, the Melithreptus is the most beautifully coloured of the group, but is most closely allied to M. gularis, the Amictus appears to be quite distinct from the other three species, the Honey-eater (ptilotis) is as much a puzzle to me, as it is to you" (Gould 1875 unpubl. letter in Sutton 1929).