Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: White-waisted jade
- Scientific name: Caridonax fulgidus, Glittering kingfisher
- Classification: Climbing birds
- Classification: Order Coraciiformes, Family Aldabra, Genus Aldabra
Vital signs data
- Body length: Approximately 30 centimeters
- Weight: No verification information available.
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
Distribution and Habitat
White-rumped kingfishers live in tropical rainforests and can be found from coastal areas to altitudes of up to 1,300 meters.
Appearance
The White-rumped Kingfisher is 30 cm in length. Males and females are similar. The forehead, crest, back, neck, lores, cheeks, and nape are all a bright, deep purplish-blue. The wattles and shoulders display a bluish-purple hue. The chest, abdomen, and tail are pearly white. The tip of the tail is deep blue. The muzzle is red. The iris and eyes are orange-red. The legs are orange-red.
Juveniles resemble adults, but their upper bodies are less glossy. The abdomen and sides are tinged with pale yellow or red. The breast feathers are greyish-brown. The bill is a different color, yellowish-orange. The iris is pale brown.
The beak is thick and long, resembling a chisel, with a relatively wide base, a straight beak peak, a rounded ridge, and no nasal grooves on either side; the wings are rounded, with the first primary flight feather being the same length as or slightly shorter than the seventh primary flight feather, and the second, third, and fourth primary flight feathers being nearly the same length; the base of the primary flight feathers has white spots; the tail is rounded.
The genus *Hemiberlesia lataniae* is a monotypic genus, consisting only of *Hemiberlesia lataniae*, which, in terms of color, somewhat resembles *Hemiberlesia lataniae* without its long tail, but also shares some similarities with *Hemiberlesia lataniae*. Its taxonomic position is not yet fully clear.
Detailed introduction
White-waisted jadeite, scientifically known as Caridonax fulgidus, also called Glittering kingfisher, has two subspecies.
White-rumped kingfishers typically hunt alone or in pairs. Like most forest kingfishers, they are entirely carnivorous, often searching for prey in leaves or soil. Their main diet consists of invertebrates such as crickets, spiders, scorpions, and snails. They also eat small vertebrates such as small fish, snakes, and lizards.
The White-rumped Kingfisher lays its eggs from January to March in Flores and from February to March in Sombawa. The female lays one or two eggs at a time. They nest in earthen cliffs or river embankments, digging tunnel-like burrows with their beaks, about 60 cm deep, 20 cm wide, and 10 cm high, oval in shape. These burrows are generally unlined. The eggs are laid directly on the ground inside the nest. The eggs are nearly round, pure white, and approximately 29.4 × 26.2 mm in size.
Listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
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