Blyth's kingfisher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blyth's kingfisher |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Alcedo
|
| Species: |
hercules
|
The Blyth's kingfisher (Alcedo hercules) is the biggest kingfisher in its group, called Alcedo. It's named after Edward Blyth. This bird is about 22 to 23 centimeters (9 inches) long. It has a beautiful look with bright blue or azure upper parts, a dark blue patch on its chest, and reddish-brown underparts. Its wings are a dark greenish-black with blue spots.
Male Blyth's kingfishers have an all-black beak, while females have a dark red lower part of their beak. You can tell this kingfisher apart from similar ones by its larger size, heavy black beak, and dark markings near its eyes.
These kingfishers lay eggs between March and June. They build their nests at the end of tunnels dug into stream banks. Both parents help incubate the four to six eggs. This shy bird likes small waterways. It catches fish and insects by diving from a nearby bush. You can find it in evergreen forests and open areas, usually between 400 and 1000 meters (1300 to 3300 feet) high. Its home stretches from Nepal to Vietnam. Because there aren't many of them, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as "near threatened".
Contents
Meet the Blyth's Kingfisher
The Blyth's kingfisher was first described in 1845 by an English zoologist named Edward Blyth. However, its first scientific name was already in use for another bird. So, in 1917, a German naturalist named Alfred Laubmann gave it the new name Alcedo hercules. This bird is closely related to the blue-eared kingfisher. It's also sometimes called the great blue kingfisher.
What Does It Look Like?
The Blyth's kingfisher is the largest kingfisher in the Alcedo group, measuring about 22 to 23 centimeters (9 inches) long. The male's wing is about 9.6 to 10.2 cm (4 inches) long, and the female's is similar.
Its head feathers are black with shiny blue tips. It has a whitish patch on its neck and chin. Its chest and belly are reddish-brown, with a dark bluish-black patch on the chest. The legs and feet are red. The male's beak is completely black, but the female has a red lower beak. Its eyes are reddish-brown.
The back of the bird, from its neck to its tail, is a bright cobalt blue or azure, with a hint of purple near the tail. When the bird is resting, its upper parts might look brownish-black. Its tail is a darker blue. The wings are a dark greenish-black. The feathers on the upper wings have bright blue tips, and the feathers under the wings are dark reddish-brown. The smaller and middle wing feathers have clear blue spots. Young kingfishers' colors are not well known.
This kingfisher looks a bit like the blue-eared kingfisher, but it's much bigger. Its beak is also heavier and longer, and it's all black. Its crown and wings are not as shiny as the smaller blue-eared kingfisher. You can also spot it by the light blue spots on its head and wing feathers. It's different from the common kingfisher because it has dark ear feathers, while the common kingfisher has reddish-brown ones.
The Blyth's kingfisher makes a loud "pseet" sound. It's not as sharp as the common kingfisher's call, but it's louder and a bit rougher.
How It Lives and Behaves
Blyth's kingfishers usually breed between April and May, sometimes from March to June. They build their nests at the end of tunnels. These tunnels are dug into muddy banks next to streams or ravines in the forest. The tunnel goes straight, then up, then down to a nesting room. This room is about 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) wide and 10 to 13 cm (4 to 5 inches) high.
The tunnel itself is usually 8 cm (3 inches) wide. Its length changes depending on the soil. It can be 45 to 60 cm (1.5 to 2 feet) long in hard soil or up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) long in sandy soil. The female lays four to six eggs, and both parents take turns sitting on them. The parents stay very close to the nest. We don't know exactly how long it takes for the eggs to hatch or for the young birds to leave the nest.
This kingfisher eats fish and insects. It catches them by diving into the water. Unlike some other kingfishers, the Blyth's kingfisher dives from a bush or plant that's close to the water, not from a high, open spot. It's believed that these birds do not travel far from their homes. They are known to be quite shy birds.
Where It Lives Around the World
Blyth's kingfisher likes small rivers and waterways. It lives in evergreen forests, hilly areas, or deep ravines. Sometimes, you might find it near streams in well-wooded farmlands. It usually lives between 400 and 1000 meters (1300 to 3300 feet) above sea level. However, it can be found as low as 200 meters (650 feet) and as high as 1200 meters (3900 feet).
There aren't many of these birds, even in places they like to live. In China, they are found in nature reserves in Yunnan and Guangxi provinces, and also in Hainan. In Vietnam, they are quite common in some areas. They can also be found in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Bhutan, and parts of India. They are rare visitors in Bangladesh and eastern Nepal.
Protecting the Blyth's Kingfisher
We don't have an exact number for how many Blyth's kingfishers there are in the world. In China, it's thought there are fewer than 100 breeding pairs. Even in good habitats, there aren't many of them. The places where they live are being harmed and broken up by human activities. Other dangers include water pollution in the rivers they use and human disturbances like cutting down forests.
No special actions have been taken to protect this bird specifically. Because of human activities, their numbers are slowly going down. The International Union for Conservation of Nature now calls the species "near threatened." This means they are close to being considered vulnerable.
