Little Kingfisher
Ceyx pusillus
A tiny blue and white kingfisher. Typically occurs beside rivers, lagoons, waterholes, as well as in mangroves at the coast, where it hunts prey from a perch above the water. Gives a high pitched very thin whistle.
Identification
The little kingfisher is 11.5 to 13 cm (4.5 to 5.1 in) long with a glossy, deep-blue back and head, and a snowy white breast. It has a heavy bill and a short tail. It has dark brown feet, with one toe to the rear and only two forward toes. This is one of the smallest kingfishers in the world; only the African dwarf kingfisher is smaller. The male weighs 10–15 g (0.35–0.53 oz) and the female 10–14 g (0.35–0.49 oz).
Taxonomy
The first formal description of the little kingfisher was by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1836 under the current binomial name Ceyx pusilla. The generic name Ceyx (/ˈsiːɪks/) derives from Ancient Greek: Κήϋξ, romanized: Kēüx, a mythological seabird that was drowned at sea and then found washed ashore by his wife Alcyone, after which both were metamorphosed into kingfishers. The specific epithet pusillus is the Latin for 'tiny' or 'very small'.<p>There are nine recognised subspecies of the little kingfisher (see box at right). The nominate subspecies Ceyx pusillus pusillus is found in Aru Island and Kai Island of Indonesia, southern New Guinea, the Torres Strait Islands, and possibly the tip of Cape York in Queensland. The subspecies C. p. ramsayi is found in coastal Northern Territory and western Cape York; it is a paler blue, with blue patches extending into the sides of the breast. Subspecies C. p. halli is found in coastal north-eastern Queensland from Endeavour River to Keppel Bay; it has small blue patches extending into the sides of the breast. The subspecies C. p. laetior is found in northern New Guinea; C. p. masauji in the Bismarck Archipelago; C. p. bougainvillei is found in the Solomon Islands and Bougainville; C. p. halmaherae is found in the northern Moluccas; C. p. richardsi is found in the western and central Solomon Islands; and C. p. aolae is found in Guadalcanal.
- Scientific name
- Ceyx pusillus
- Authority
- Temminck, 1836
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Genus
- Ceyx
Range and habitat
The little kingfisher is found in open forest, woodland, swamps, and mangroves of Australia (northern Queensland and coastal Northern Territory), Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It is generally uncommon and sedentary.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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