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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; wing span 20-24 cm Body mass: 29-32 g (male), 31-35 g (female) Wing loading [g/cm2]: ca. 0.50-0.78

Australia: Family Group 14 Family Group 14 Table Australian Swiftlet Pacific Swift White-throated Needletail Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher Yellow-billed Kingfisher Azure Kingfisher Little Kingfisher Forest Kingfisher Red-backed Kingfisher Torresian Kingfisher Sacred Kingfisher Blue-winged Kookaburra Laughing Kookaburra Rainbow Bee-eater Dollarbird Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Azure Kingfishers are small kingfishers. Their head and back are, except for small rufous patches on the frons and white patches on the sides of the neck, all rich dark-blue. The front, except for the white throat, is all rich rufous to orange, from the chest to the undertail coverts. The irises are black, the massive, straight bill is dark-grey, while the legs and feet are bright orange-red. Juveniles have duller colours than adults and a white tip to the bill. Their legs and feet are the colour of skin. Twitcher's tip Compared with Little Kingfishers, they have an orange-rufous front, rather than white.

Taxonomy, classification See Azure Kingfisher at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Azure Kingfisher is available HERE . Azure Kingfishers are found in eastern Indonesia, Timor Leste, New Guinea and Australia. There are three races of Azure Kingfisher in Australia, all of which are endemic. Nominate race "azurea" is found throughout the eastern half of QLD and NSW, plus all of VIC and the Murray River catchment in the South. The range of race "ruficollaris" extends from the Kimberley in WA across the Top End of the NT to the southern tip of the Gulf of Carpentaria, plus the entire Cape York peninsula. Along the North, West and South coast of Tasmania race "diemenensis" is found. Azure Kingfishers are found in dense growth around rivers, creeks and mangrove swamps.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "azurea" Sightings of Azure Kingfishers, race "azurea", in the area where we live, near Narrabri, NSW, are relatively rare, but they are found semi-regularly near creeks on the western side of the Great Dividing Range (typically where there is running water, not in dry creek beds). An Azure Kingfisher, race "azurea", was observed by us in woodland in a Mehi River floodplain 25 km West of Moree, NSW, close to Whittaker's Lagoon, in late June 2012. C. Hayne reports spotting Azure Kingfishers, race "azurea", occasionally in various locations around Moree, e.g. on the banks of the Mehi River near Whittaker's Lagoon, but also farther East, near and in the hills of the Great Dividing Range (e.g. Gravesend, Warialda, Inverell). At Terry Hie Hie, NSW, a pair was observed nesting in November 2013. Various contributors have reported to us finding Azure Kingfishers, race "azurea", in many different locations along the (near-)coastal fringe of eastern Australia, from Daintree NP, QLD, in the North to the NSW Mid-North Coast in the South. R. Plumtree reports finding Azure Kingfishers, race "azurea", at Lakes Entrance, East Gippsland, VIC, in July 2019. M. Eaton found Azure Kingfishers, race "azurea", in Eungella NP, near Mackay, QLD, in July 2021. Race "ruficollaris" We first found an Azure Kingfisher, race "ruficollaris", at Yellow Water, Kakadu NP, NT in October 1997. M. Mearns reports spotting Azure Kingfishers, race "ruficollaris", at Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) NP, far-western QLD, in November 2012. This location is on the south-eastern edge of this race's range. In August 2014 we spotted an Azure Kingfisher, race "ruficollaris", at Umbrawarra Gorge NP, near Pine Creek, NT. J. Greaves reports spotting an Azure Kingfisher, race "ruficollaris", near the western edge of its range, at Horizontal Falls, Cyclone Creek, Talbot Bay, WA, in April 2015. B. Hensen reports finding an Azure Kingfisher, race "ruficollaris", at at Sandy Creek, Stuart Highway, NT, in July 2018. P. Brown found an Azure Kingfisher, race "ruficollaris", at Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, in October 2018, and another at Yellow Water, Kakadu NP, NT in November 2020.

Photos

Race "azurea"

ADULT

PAIR

Near-frontal view of a pair of Azure Kingfishers on their perch (they are not exactly well-camouflaged...)
[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 looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Hillview Court Reserve, Dayboro, QLD, May 2020]

Near-dorsal view of an Azure Kingfisher looking sideways (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 River, QLD, September 2023]

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]

Partly obscured near-dorsal view of an immature Azure Kingfisher that is not only wet from a dive, but also moulting
(photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Kilcoy, QLD, December 2016]

Close-up lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher feeding a dependent young a prawn
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, March 2024]

Adult Azure Kingfisher, left, taking off in pursuit of food for its impatient young
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2025]

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: Solitary/pair

Field guides note that both sexes of Azure Kingfishers take on nest duties (see above). Taking that into account, it is a bit of a surprise to find that males, nevertheless, courtship-feed females, in a bonding ritual.

Male Azure Kingfisher, left, bringing a fish for his partner
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2023]

Male Azure Kingfisher, left, feeding his partner with a fish, in a bonding ritual
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2023]

Pair of Azure Kingfishers, male on the left, after feeding the female; the morphology of both birds indicates that they are adults, not an adult feeding a dependent juvenile
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2023]

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

Azure Kingfishers are "true kingfishers" that prey on small fish and crustaceans, which they catch by diving into water.

Additional information

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

Close-up lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher with its prey, a freshwater crayfish
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, August 2022]

Close-up lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher with small prey (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, September 2023]

Close-up lateral view of an Azure Kingfisher with with more ambitious goals...
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, April 2023]

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_20240102.m4a	azurea (NW NSW)	Contact call? (in flight)	© MD
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.

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