The azure kingfisher (''Ceyx azureus'') is a small

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

in the

river kingfisher The river kingfishers or pygmy kingfishers, subfamily Alcedininae, are one of the three subfamilies of kingfishers. The river kingfishers are widespread through Africa and east and south Asia as far as Australia, with one species, the common ki ...

subfamily,

Alcedininae The river kingfishers or pygmy kingfishers, subfamily Alcedininae, are one of the three subfamilies of kingfishers. The river kingfishers are widespread through Africa and east and south Asia as far as Australia, with one species, the common kin ...

.Pizzey, Graham and Doyle, Roy. (1980) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia.'' Collins Publishers, Sydney.

Description

The azure kingfisher measures in length, and the male weighs while the female is slightly heavier at . It is a very colourful bird, with deep blue to azure back, a large white to buff spot on the side of the neck and throat, rufous-buff with some blue-violet streaks on the breast and flanks. The feet are red with only two forward toes. The lores (the region between the eye and the bill) are white and inconspicuous except in front view, where they stand out as two large white eye-like spots which may have a role in warding off potential predators. Azure Kingfisher -closeup - showing lores

Azure Kingfisher -closeup - showing lores

Taxonomy

The

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

(see box at right) differ only in minor details: compared with the nominate subspecies ''Ceyx azureus azureus'', ''C. a. ruficollaris'' is smaller, brighter, and has more blue on the flanks; ''C. a. diemenensis'' is rather large, short-billed, and has a distinctly darker crown; ''C. a. lessoni'' is more contrasting, with little blue on the flanks; ''C.a. affinis'' has a red billtip, as has the smaller ''C.a. yamdenae''; and ''C. a. ochrogaster'' is very pale below. Still, there is very little intergradation in the areas where subspecies meet. Comparing subspecific variation with climate data, the former's pattern does not follow and in some instances runs contrary to

Bergmann's Rule Bergmann's rule is an ecogeographical rule that states that within a broadly distributed taxonomic clade, populations and species of larger size are found in colder environments, while populations and species of smaller size are found in warmer ...

and

Gloger's Rule Gloger's rule is an ecogeographical rule which states that within a species of endotherms, more heavily pigmented forms tend to be found in more humid environments, e.g. near the equator. It was named after the zoologist Constantin Wilhelm Lambert ...

Schodde Richard Schodde, OAM (born 23 September 1936) is an Australian botanist and ornithologist. Schodde studied at the University of Adelaide, where he received a BSc (Hons) in 1960 and a PhD in 1970. During the 1960s he was a botanist with the ...

, R. &

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

I.J. (1976) "Infra-specific variation in ''Alcedo azurea'' Latham (Alcedinidae)." ''

Emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...

'' 76(1): 161–166. (HTML abstract) The generic name ''Ceyx'' () derives from grc, Κήϋξ, Kēüx, a mythological seabird that was drowned at sea and then found washed ashore by his wife

Alcyone In Greek mythology, Alcyone or Halcyone (; grc, Ἀλκυόνη, Alkyónē derived from grc, ἀλκυών, alkyṓn, kingfisher, label=none) and Ceyx (; grc, Κήϋξ, Kḗÿx) were a wife and husband who incurred the wrath of the god Zeus ...

, after which both were metamorphosed into kingfishers. The specific epithet is Mediaeval Latin ''azureus'', 'azure'.

Distribution and habitat

The azure kingfisher is found in northern and eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, as well as the lowlands of

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and neighbouring islands, and out to

North Maluku North Maluku ( id, Maluku Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the north, the Halmahera Sea to the east, the Molucca Sea to the west, and the Seram Sea to the south. ...

and Romang. The contact zone between the mainland Australian subspecies is along the east coast of

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...

, between

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

and

Princess Charlotte Bay Princess Charlotte Bay is a large bay on the east coast of Far North Queensland at the base of Cape York Peninsula, 350 km north northwest of Cairns. Princess Charlotte Bay is a part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and it is a habit ...

, and that of the New Guinea ones between

Simbu Province Chimbu, more frequently spelled Simbu, is a province in the Highlands Region of Papua New Guinea. The province has an area of 6,112 km2 and a population of 376,473 (2011 census). The capital of the province is Kundiawa. Mount Wilhelm, the tal ...

and the northern

Huon Peninsula Huon Peninsula is a large rugged peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Morobe Province, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. The peninsula is dominated by the steep Saruwaged and Finister ...

, as well as south of

Cenderawasih Bay Cenderawasih Bay ( id, Teluk Cenderawasih, "Bird of Paradise Bay"), also known as Sarera Bay ( id, Teluk Sarera) and formerly Geelvink Bay ( nl, Geelvinkbaai), is a large bay in northern Province of Papua, Central Papua and West Papua, New Guine ...

. The habitat of the azure kingfisher includes the banks of vegetated creeks, lakes, swamps, tidal estuaries, and mangroves. It is common in the north of its range, tending to uncommon in the south. It is generally sedentary, although some seasonal migration may occur.

Behaviour

Feeding

The azure kingfisher feeds on small fish,

crustaceans Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...

(such as shrimps,

amphipods Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far descri ...

and freshwater yabbies), water beetles, spiders, locusts, and small frogs or tadpoles.Woodall, P. F. (2020). "Azure Kingfisher (Ceyx azureus), version 1.0." In ''Birds of the World'' (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. It is often difficult to see until it quickly darts from a perch above water.

Breeding

The breeding season of the azure kingfisher is from September to April in northern Australia and from August to February in southern Australia, sometimes with two broods. The nest is in a chamber at the end of a long burrow in an earthen creek bank. A clutch of 4–6 white, rounded, glossy eggs, measuring , is laid.Morcombe, Michael (2012) ''Field Guide to Australian Birds.'' Pascal Press, Glebe, NSW. Revised edition. Both parents incubate the eggs for 20–22 days, and then feed the hatchlings for a further 3 to 5 weeks. The nests are occasionally destroyed by floods and their contents may be taken by the brown snake.

Voice

The azure kingfisher is usually silent, but makes a sharp, squeaky call when breeding. Its voice is a high-pitched, shrill "pseet-pseet", often in flight.

Conservation status

Although the population of azure kingfishers is decreasing, their wide distribution enables classification as a species of

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

References

*Slater, Peter; Slater, Pat & Slater, Raoul (1989): ''

The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds ''The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds '' is one of the main national bird field guides used by Australian birders. Description The guide was first published in 1986 in Sydney by Rigby Publishers and authored by Peter Slater and other me ...

'' (Revised Edition). Weldon, Sydney, Chicago.

External links

Photos, audio and video of azure kingfisher
from

Cornell Lab of Ornithology The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a member-supported unit of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, which studies birds and other wildlife. It is housed in the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity in Sapsucker Woods Sanctuar ...

's Macaulay Library
Photo gallery & descriptionPhotos of azure kingfisher
from Graeme Chapman's photo library {{Taxonbar, from=Q786936

azure kingfisher The azure kingfisher (''Ceyx azureus'') is a small kingfisher in the river kingfisher subfamily, Alcedininae.Pizzey, Graham and Doyle, Roy. (1980) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia.'' Collins Publishers, Sydney. Description The azure ...

Birds of the Maluku Islands Birds of New Guinea Birds of Australia