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14

Little Kingfisher (Ceyx [Alcedo] pusilla) Size: 12-13 cm; wing span 20-26 cm Weight: 10-16 g

Australia: Family Group 14 Family Group 14 Table Australian Swiftlet Fork-tailed 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 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 Little Kingfishers tend to be a lighter shade of blue than adults. Twitcher's tip Compared with Azure Kingfishers, they have a white front, rather than orange-rufous.

Taxonomy, classification See Little 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 Little Kingfisher is available HERE . 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.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "ramsayi" 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. P. Brown found a Little Kingfisher, race "ramsayi", at Howard Springs Nature Reserve, near Darwin, NT, in September 2020. Another was found at Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, in November 2021. Race "halli" M. Eaton reports finding Little Kingfishers, race "halli", at Tyto Wetlands, Ingham, QLD, in September 2020, and again in August 2023. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours found a Little Kingfisher, race "halli", along the Daintree River, QLD, in May 2020.

Photos

Race "ramsayi"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Little Kingfisher hiding in a shady spot (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Howard Springs Nature Reserve, near Darwin, NT, September 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a Little Kingfisher (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, November 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a Little Kingfisher in brilliant sunlight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2014]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a Little Kingfisher; the rufous tinge and the partly pink legs may indicate that this is a juvenile bird
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2014]

Race "halli"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Little Kingfisher looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tyto Wetlands, Ingham, QLD, September 2020]

Near-frontal view of a Little Kingfisher looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tyto Wetlands, Ingham, QLD, August 2023]

Near-lateral view of a Little Kingfisher looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tyto Wetlands, Ingham, QLD, September 2020]

Near-lateral view of a Little Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tyto Wetlands, Ingham, QLD, September 2020]

Lateral view of a Little Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tyto Wetlands, Ingham, QLD, September 2020]

Lateral view of a Little Kingfisher (photo courtesy of )
[Daintree River, QLD, May 2020]

Nera-dorsal view of a Little Kingfisher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tyto Wetlands, Ingham, QLD, September 2020]

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.

ltkingf_pb_20221122.mp3

ramsayi (Top End, NT)

Contact calls in flight (+ Yellow Oriole)

© PB

More Little 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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