Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher

Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Alcedinidae
Genus:	Ceyx
Species:	C. erithaca
Binomial name
Ceyx erithaca[2] (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Ceyx tridactylus Ceyx erythaca Ceyx microsoma

The Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher also known as the Black-backed Kingfisher (Ceyx erithaca) is a species of bird in the Alcedinidae family. Small red and yellow kingfisher, yellow underparts with bluish-black upperparts. This is a widespread resident of lowland forest. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The preferred habitat is small streams in densely shaded forests.^[3] In Konkan, it begins to breed with the onset of the Southwest Monsoon in June. The nest is a horizontal tunnel up to a metre in length. The clutch of 4-5 eggs hatches in 17 days with both the male and female incubating. The birds fledge after 20 days and a second brood may be raised if the first fails. The young are fed with geckos, skinks, snails, frogs, crickets and dragonflies.^[4]

References

1. ^ BirdLife International 2004. Ceyx erithaca. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
2. ^ David N & Gosselin M. 2000. "The supposed significance of originally capitalized species-group names." BBOC. 120(4):262 note that erithaca is the correct ending but erithacus is claimed to be correct in Handbook of the Birds of the World
3. ^ Schaunesee, de Rodolphe Meyer & S D Ripley (1929) Zoological results of the George Vanderbilt Sumatran expedition, 1936-1939. Part 3- Birds from Nias Island. Proceedings of The Academy of Natural Sciences 91:399-414
4. ^ Palkar, SB, Katdar VD, Lovalekar RJ, Mone RV & VV Joshi (2009) Breeding biology of Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx erythaca. Indian Birds 4(3):98-103