- Ceyx erithaca
Includes: Rufous-backed Kingfisher, Black-backed Kingfisher
Identification
14cm (5½ in)
- Rufous head
- Black forehead spot
- Yellow underparts
- Bluish-black upperparts (rufous in rufidorsa)
- Red bill
- Orange-red legs and feet
- Dark eye
Distribution
Asia: found in China, India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Malay Peninsula, Brunei, Singapore, Philippines,
Island of Borneo, Indonesia, Greater Sundas, Sumatra, Java, Lesser Sundas
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Five or six subspecies are recognized[1]:
- C. e. erithaca:
- C. e. rufidorsa
- Malay Peninsula, Greater and Lesser Sundas to western Philippines - sometimes accepted as full species, Rufous-backed Kingfisher (the remaining subspecies are then called Black-backed Kingfisher)
- C. e. macrocarus:
- C. e. motleyi:
- Borneo and adjacent northern offshore islands
- C. e. captus:
- Nias Island (off north-western Sumatra)
- C. e. jungei:
- Batu sland. and Simeulue Island (off north-western Sumatra)
Habitat
Lowland rainforest and dense undergrowth. Found at heights around 300m.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists almost entirely of insects such as water beetles, grasshoppers, flies and winged ants.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved October 2015)
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Oriental_Dwarf_Kingfisher
External Links
Search for scientific name Ceyx erithaca:
Search for scientific name Ceyx rufidorsa:
