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Little Kingfisher
(Ceyx [Alcedo] pusilla)
Size: 12-13 cm; wing span 20-26 cm
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Little Kingfishers are the smallest kingfishers in Australia.
Their head and back are, except for small white patches on
the frons and on the sides of the neck, all rich dark-blue.
Race "ramsayi"
is a lighter shade of blue than race "halli".
The front, from the throat down, except some blue on the sides
of the chest, is all-white.
Race "ramsayi"
can have a complete blue chest band.
The irises are black, the massive, straight bill is dark-grey
and the legs and feet are grey.
Juvenile and
immature Little Kingfishers tend to be a lighter shade of blue
than adults.
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Twitcher's tip |
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Compared with Azure Kingfishers, they
have a white front, rather than orange-rufous.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Little
Kingfisher at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Little Kingfisher is available
HERE
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The range of Little Kingfishers extends from northern Australia
to West Papua (Indonesia), New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
In Australia three races of Little Kingfisher exist.
Nominate race "pusilla" populates the tip of Cape York
peninsula, down to about Cape Melville, QLD, and to the North the
chain of islands
across the Torres Strait and beyond.
Race "halli" is endemic, with a range stretching from Cape Melville,
QLD, southward along the QLD East coast, down to about Fraser
Island, QLD.
Race "ramsayi",
which is also endemic, populates the entire Top End of the NT and
possibly a narrow coastal strip around the South end of the Gulf of
Carpentaria, and part of the West coast of Cape York peninsula.
Little Kingfishers can be found in open forest, woodland, swamps and mangroves, and also along
billabongs.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
B. Hensen reports spotting a Little Kingfisher, race "ramsayi", at Casuarina
Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, in May 2013. Next, Little Kingfishers,
race "ramsayi",
were observed at Sandy Creek, Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, in
July 2014.
J. Greaves reports spotting a Little Kingfisher, race "ramsayi", at Yellow Water
billabong,
Kakadu NP,
NT, in November 2014. They were seen there again in October 2015
by H. Mouritsen.
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Photos |
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Race "ramsayi"
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ADULT |
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Lateral view of a Little Kingfisher in brilliant sunlight (photo
courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2014]
More distant lateral view of a Little Kingfisher (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, May 2013]
Distant lateral view of a Little Kingfisher on the edge of a
billabong
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Kakadu NP, NT,
November 2014]
Near-dorsal view of a Little Kingfisher (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, May 2013]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Frontal view of a Little Kingfisher (photo courtesy of B. Hensen);
the rufous tinge and the partly pink legs may indicate that this
is an immature bird
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2014]
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.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
