Scientific Name: Halcyon coromanda
Malay Name: Pekaka Belacan
Chinese Name: 赤翡翠
Range: Found from Indian subcontinent, China, Korea, Japan to Southeast Asia with more northerly populations wintering south
Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: coromanda, major, bangsi, mizorhina, minor, linae, claudiae, rufa, pelingensis, sulana.
Local Subspecies: minor (resident), coromanda (migrant)
Size: 26.5-27 cm
Identification: Adult has bright rufescent plumage, violet-tinged upperside, bluish-white patch on lower back and rump and bright red bill. Juvenile has browner upperparts, brilliant blue (less whitish) lower back and rump, narrow dark brown bars on underparts and brownish orange bill.
Habitat: Forest, forest edge, wooded areas and mangroves.
Behaviour/Ecology: Feeds on fish, crustaceans, and large insects. When in habitat with less running water, they are known to take frogs and other amphibians.
Local Status: Uncommon migrant and rare visitor
Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)
Location: Migratory coromanda can show up at any wooded habitat in Singapore, Sundaic minor thought to still be resident in Pulau Tekong, occasionally found at Pulau Ubin, and sometimes on Singapore island (Sungei Buloh, Lim Chu Kang) during the winter season.
- Local extinctions of Singapore birds (Science)
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Ruddy Kingfisher)
References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Halcyon coromanda. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683234A92979549.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Singapore Birds Project. (n.d.). Ruddy Kingfisher. Retrieved on May 26, 2023 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/ruddy-kingfisher.