Oriental dwarf kingfisher

 

Introduction of Oriental dwarf kingfisher 

The oriental dwarf kingfisher (Scientific name: Ceyx erithaca) of Alcedinidae family is also known as the black-backed kingfisher or three-toed kingfisher. It is the smallest kingfisher species measuring 13 to 14 cm in length and weighting 14 to 20 grams.

How to identify Oriental dwarf kingfisher 

Identification of Oriental dwarf kingfisher is very easy because of its small size and color. Oriental dwarf kingfisher is brightly colored bird like other kingfishers.  Upperparts of Oriental dwarf kingfisher are glowing bluish black and underparts are yellowish orange. On the forehead, they have a blackish spot. On the side of the neck, there is a blue patch and just below the blue patch there is a white patch. The throat is white with bright orange colored lines in the bottom. The rump is lilac-pink.

The head of the Oriental dwarf kingfisher is colored lilac-rufous. The tail is short and the tip of the tail is orange. The bill of Oriental dwarf kingfisher is long and broad and color of the bill is reddish orange. The irises are black and there is dark gray bare skin around the eye. The legs and feet are reddish orange. This species has three toes and out of these three toes, two are facing forward. Because of three toes, it is also known as three-toed kingfisher.

Habits and Habitats

Oriental dwarf kingfisher like to keep themselves clean. They sometimes dive into the water to bathe, then fly to a perch to preen and dry their feathers in the sunlight. Sometimes they clean their heads using their wings. They also clean their  bills by scraping them back and forth.

Oriental dwarf kingfisher inhabit tropical coastal forests, evergreen primary and secondary forest, wooded lowlands, deciduous forests, subtropical moist lowlands, tropical moist lowlands,  mangroves,  rivers, streams and creeks. The popular habitat is small streams in densely shaded forests. But Oriental dwarf kingfisher species have moderate forest dependency. These kingfisher species are found from 0 to 1300 meters elevation.  

Distribution

Oriental dwarf kingfisher species are distributed in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and Philippines.

It has three sub-species. Distribution of subspecies are as bellows

Ceyx erithaca erithaca (Nominate Race) are distributed  Southwestern India (south from Bombay) south to Sri Lanka, and from Bhutan east to south China (Yunnan, Hainan) and south to Sumatra and adjacent islands.

Ceyx erithaca macrocarus  are found at Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, and islands off western Sumatra (Simeulue, Nias, Batu).

Ceyx erithaca motleyi  are found at Northern central and western Philippines (Mindoro and Panay to Palawan), south to Borneo and Java, then east to Sumbawa and Flores.

Food

Geckos, crabs, snails, frogs, crickets, shrimp and dragonflies are in the food list of Oriental dwarf kingfisher.  Kingfishers are  territorial birds and for searching food, it  generally locate a  area based on food sources, desirable perching trees and safe roosting sites. Like most other birds, Oriental dwarf kingfisher also search for their food in the mornings and evenings. But they will  hunt for food during mid-day if the weather is cooler. It captures its meals by hovering or perching above the water. And it can dives deep into the water at speeds of over 40km/h when it spots any prey. 

Call

Their call is high pitched “triet triet triet” or low pitched “tjiee tjiee tjiee” sound.

Nesting and Breeding

The breeding season of these Oriental dwarf kingfisher species is from July to September in the southwest India. In Sri Lanka, the breeding season is from February to July.  The breeding season is during April and May in northeastern India and from March to July in Malay Peninsula.

The Oriental dwarf kingfisher species excavate one meter long horizontal tunnel on the river bank for nesting. And at the end of the tunnel,  they  hollow out a narrow chamber  in which female lay  eggs. The nests are constructed by both males and females.  It takes  between three to seven days to complete the tunnel.  The clutch may comprise four or five eggs. Both the parents take turns to incubate and the eggs hatch out in 17 days. The hatchlings are fed with a variety of insects and small vertebrates. The young birds fledge after 20 days. A second brood may be raised if the first nesting attempt was unsuccessful.