Sula Dwarf-Kingfisher
Ceyx wallacii
A small kingfisher with an entirely orange bill, dark blue upperparts, a paler blue stripe down the upperside, a white throat, and orange underparts. Also note the orange-washed pale patch on the sides of neck and the orange forehead patch. Inhabits forest understory. Confined to the Sula islands. Overlaps with Blue-eared and Common Kingfishers, but note Sula’s smaller size, entirely orange bill, and darker blackish-blue upperpart coloration. Gives an extremely high-pitched, shrill “tseeeeip” call, as is typical of dwarf-kingfishers.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ceyx wallacii
- Authority
- Sharpe, 1868
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Genus
- Ceyx
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Blue-throated Bee-eater
Merops viridis
A bright green insect hunter with a long bill and triangular starling-like wings. Adult has a bright blue throat, orange-brown crown and nape, and long trailing central tail feathers. Sexes are alike. Juveniles have a paler blue throat, no orange-brown coloration, and no long tail extensions. Often hunts from exposed perches such as telephone lines or snags, on which it rubs its venomous quarry so as to disarm it. Call is a bright, inflected “chileep.”
White-headed Starling
Sturnia erythropygia
A distinctive starling with white head, white breast, and gray back. Note the yellow legs and pale bill. The vent, outer tail feathers, and lower back are grayish-white on birds in the Andamans and reddish-brown on birds in the Nicobars. An active species that usually occurs in flocks with other starlings and insectivores in plantations, paddyfields, open woodlands, and forest edges.
Red-shouldered Blackbird
Agelaius assimilis
A mostly black inhabitant of swamps and marshes. The male has a telltale orange-red shoulder patch with pale yellow trim, which the female lacks. Both sexes of Tawny-shouldered Blackbird have a yellow-orange shoulder, though the shoulder color is sometimes only visible in flight. The Shiny Cowbird lacks a shoulder patch, is quite glossy, and has a shorter and stouter bill than Red-shouldered Blackbird. The call is a “chut” or “chut-chut” and song is a shrill “Shuh-reee-eee.”
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