Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: Blue-breasted Kingfisher
- Scientific name: Indigo-banded Kingfisher, Dwarf River Kingfisher
- Classification: Climbing birds
- Classification and genus: Order Coraciiformes, Family Kingfisher, Genus Kingfisher
Vital signs data
- Body length: Approximately 14 centimeters
- Weight: No verification information available.
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
The head, back, and wings are a deep sapphire blue with black spots and stripes.
Distribution and Habitat
The blue-breasted kingfisher is found in Luzon, Polynesia, Panay, Negros, and Cebu.
Blue-breasted kingfishers inhabit bodies of water such as streams, creeks, lakes, and irrigation canals with shrubs or sparse forests and clear, slow-flowing water.
Appearance
The Blue-breasted Kingfisher is a small kingfisher, measuring 14 cm in length. Its head, back, and wings are a deep sapphire blue with black spots and stripes. The underparts are orange-yellow, the breast is blue, and there are orange-yellow patches on the sides of the neck. The lores, beak, and legs are orange-red. The beak is thick, straight, long, and strong, with a rounded ridge; the nasal groove is indistinct; the wingtips are long, with the first primary flight feather slightly shorter and the third and fourth longest; the tail is short and rounded; the plumage is bright and glossy, often with blue or green hues. It has a large head, short neck, short and rounded wings, and a mostly short tail; the beak is large and pointed with a blunt culmen; the legs are very short, the toes are slender and weak, the fourth toe is mostly fused with the third toe, and only fused with the second toe at the base. The preen gland is covered with feathers. It has a coracoid bone on both sides, four notches on the posterior margin of the sternum, and the manubrium of the sternum is simply formed by external spines.
Detailed introduction
The blue-breasted kingfisher, scientifically known as *Alcedo cyanopecta*, Dwarf River Kingfisher, has two subspecies: (1) the nominate subspecies *Alcedo cyanopecta cyanopectus*, distributed in Luzon, Polynesia, and the Philippines; and (2) the darker subspecies *Alcedo cyanopecta nigrirostris*, distributed in Panay, Negros, and Cebu in the Philippines.
The blue-breasted kingfisher is a solitary bird, usually perching alone on branches or rocks near water, waiting to hunt. Its diet consists mainly of small fish, supplemented by crustaceans, various aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as small frogs and a small amount of aquatic plants. Even when submerged, the kingfisher maintains excellent vision because its eyes can quickly adjust to the visual contrast caused by light changes underwater. Therefore, it is highly skilled at catching fish.
Blue-breasted kingfishers typically nest on earthen cliffs, or on the banks of fields and streams, using their beaks to dig tunnel-like burrows for their nests, which are usually unlined. The eggs are laid directly on the ground inside the nest. Each clutch contains 6-7 eggs. The eggs are pure white, glossy, and slightly spotted, measuring approximately 28 mm × 18 mm. They lay 1-2 clutches per year; the incubation period is about 21 days. Both parents incubate the eggs, but only the female feeds the chicks.
Listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013 ver 3.1.
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