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14

Azure Kingfisher

(Ceyx [Alcedo] azurea)
Alternate name(s): "Blue Kingfisher", "Water Kingfisher", "River Kingfisher", "Purple Kingfisher"
Aboriginal name(s): Race "azurea": "nyimdjar" [eastern bundjalung]; "jiwunyu" [ngadjon]

Size: 17-19 cm
Weight: 25-50 g

Similar
species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Azure Kingfisher at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "azurea"

ADULT

PAIR

Frontal view of a pair of Azure Kingfishers on their perch
[Near Barraba, NSW, September 2015]

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Creek Reservoir, QLD, February 2019]

Frontal view of an Azure Kingfisher looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, May 2020]

Near-frontal view of an Azure Kingfisher with its head turned sideways (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Swan Reach, East Gippsland, VIC, August 2018]

Close-up near-lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree Village, QLD, November 2019]

Near-lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Creek Reservoir, QLD, February 2019]

Near-lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Hillview Court Reserve, Dayboro, QLD, May 2020]

Close-up near-lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher with a hitchhiker on its head
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, November 2019]

Near-lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Close-up lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher in brilliant sunlight (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Close-up lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, November 2019]

Lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Cape Tribulation, Daintree NP, QLD, March 2015]

Near-dorsal view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Hillview Court Reserve, Dayboro, QLD, May 2020]

Near-dorsal view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Creek Reservoir, QLD, February 2019]

Near-dorsal view of an Azure Kingfisher with its head turned sideways (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Swan Reach, East Gippsland, VIC, August 2018]

Close-up dorsal view of an Azure Kingfisher looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree Village, QLD, November 2019]

Close-up dorsal view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Dorsal view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brookfield, Brisbane, QLD, December 2017]

Lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher in flight (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Near Moree, NSW, June 2012]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a juvenile Azure Kingfisher; note the white tip of the bill (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Kilcoy, QLD, December 2016]

This immature Azure Kingfisher is not only wet from a dive, but also moulting (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Kilcoy, QLD, December 2016]

Race "ruficollaris"

ADULT

PAIR

Near-dorsal view of a pair of Azure Kingfishers (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) NP, QLD, November 2012]

Sex unknown

Near-lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Kakadu NP, NT, November 2020]

Lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher perched characteristically in a shady spot low above water in a mangrove in an intertidal wetland (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, October 2018]

Lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher; this is probably the bird whose calls were recorded on 18 August 2014
[Umbrawarra Gorge, NT, August 2014]

Near-dorsal view of an Azure Kingfisher (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, October 2018]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Azure Kingfisher; note the pale tip of the bill (photos courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Sandy Creek, Stuart Highway, NT, July 2018]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Azure Kingfisher; note the pale tip of the bill and the still incomplete flight feathers
(photos courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Sandy Creek, Stuart Highway, NT, July 2018]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Oct - Dec Eggs: 4 - 6 Incubation period: ca. 21 days Fledging age: ?

Depending on geographic latitude and weather conditions, the breeding season can run from September to February. Numbers listed for the fledging age of young Azure Kingfishers range from about 3 weeks up to 5 weeks.

Nest building: ? Incubation: Female & male Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Tunnel Material: Bare soil Height above ground: N/A

Azure Kingfisher (race "azurea") coming out of the entrance of its nest in a river bank (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Terry Hie Hie, NSW, November 2013]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 22 x 19 mm Colour: White Shape: Rounded

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial? Mobility: Sedentary/partly migratory Elementary unit: Pair

Azure Kingfishers are known for their swift, straight flight very low above water. Once a bird was seen by us almost skimming the surface of a creek.

This Azure Kingfisher was found hunting in unusually open terrain (photos courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Horizontal Falls, Cyclone Creek, Talbot Bay, WA, April 2015]

Food, Diet

Like other kingfishers, Azure Kingfishers prey on small fish and crustaceans, which they catch diving into water.

There is a separate page describing (superficially) the workings of an Azure Kingfisher's digestion.

Lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher with its prey, a fish (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher with its prey, a fish (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher with its prey, a fish (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

azkingf_20140818.mp3 ruficollaris
(Top End, NT)
Contact calls (male in flight) © MD
azkingf_pb_20210302.m4a ruficollaris
(Top End, NT)
? (+ others in bkgd) © PB

More Azure Kingfisher sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.