Scientific Name: Ceyx erithaca
Malay Name: Rajaudang-Api Belakang Hitam
Chinese Name: 三趾翠鸟
Alternative Name(s): Black-backed Kingfisher
Range: Found from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, southern China to Southeast Asia with some northerly populations wintering south.
Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: erithaca, macrocarus.
Local Subspecies: erithaca
Size: 12.5-14 cm
Identification: Very distinctive looking with a combination of rufous-yellow underparts, lilac-tinged crown with blue patches at rear of ear-coverts, reddish bill, whitish throat, dark bluish upper back and scapulars, blackish wings and bright lilac rump/uppertail-coverts. Separated from the similar Rufous-backed Dwarf Kingfisher by the blue-black (not rufous) mantle. While Rufous-backed can sometimes have much black on the wings, the mantle is always rufous in that species.
Similar looking species: Rufous-backed Dwarf Kingfisher
Habitat: Forests, gardens, parks, wooded areas and mangroves.
Behaviour/Ecology: Feeds on insects, lizards, fishs, and amphibians. Often visits forest streams at dusk to bathe.
Local Status: Uncommon migrant and very rare visitor
Conservation Status: Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2023)
Location: Central Catchment Forest, Venus Drive, Lower Pierce Boardwalk, Bidadari, Sungei Buloh, Lorong Halus and Tuas South.
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Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Black-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher)
References:
BirdLife International. (2023). Ceyx erithaca. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T61658565A95175087.en. Accessed on 1 January 2024
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher. Retrieved on December 19, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/black-backed-dwarf-kingfisher.