Northern silvery kingfisher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northern silvery kingfisher |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Coraciiformes |
| Family: | Alcedinidae |
| Subfamily: | Alcedininae |
| Genus: | Ceyx |
| Species: |
C. flumenicola
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| Binomial name | |
| Ceyx flumenicola Steere, 1890
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| Synonyms | |
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Alcedo argentatus flumencola |
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The northern silvery kingfisher (Ceyx flumenicola) is a beautiful, small bird. It belongs to the Alcedinidae family, which includes all kingfishers. This special bird lives only in the Philippines. You can find it on the islands of Bohol, Leyte, and Samar. It loves to live near streams and rivers in warm, wet forests. Sadly, its home is shrinking because of habitat loss.
Contents
What Does the Northern Silvery Kingfisher Look Like?
This kingfisher is a small, fast-moving bird. It often dashes along streams in forests. Its body is mostly a dark blue color. The feathers on its belly have a purplish tint.
Special Markings of This Kingfisher
The northern silvery kingfisher has some unique features. It has a creamy throat and a cream-colored spot behind its cheek. There's also an orange spot near its nostril. Its belly is white, and a pale, silvery-blue stripe runs down its back to its tail. You might also see whitish flecks on its head and wings. Its legs are a bright red color.
How to Tell it Apart
This bird is quite easy to recognize. Its call is a simple, high-pitched "tseep." It often makes this sound while flying. The northern silvery kingfisher is different from its southern cousin. It has a cream-colored throat, cheek, and belly. The southern silvery kingfisher has bluish-white parts instead.
Where Does the Northern Silvery Kingfisher Live?
This kingfisher prefers to live near forested streams. These streams are usually found below 1,000 meters (about 3,280 feet) in height. It can live in forests that have been cut down a bit. It can even live near streams within coconut farms, if they are close to a forest.
Why is This Bird Important?
The northern silvery kingfisher is considered "near threatened" by the IUCN. This means it might become endangered soon. Experts believe there are about 1,500 to 7,000 adult birds left.
Threats to Its Home
The biggest danger to this bird is habitat loss. Its forest homes are being cleared away. This happens because of logging, turning forests into farms, and mining. These activities are happening all over the areas where the kingfisher lives.
How Human Activities Affect Its Habitat
Many lowland forests where these birds live have been cut down. For example, only about 4% of the original forest is left on Bohol island. Most of the remaining lowland forests are used for logging or mining. Rivers with a lot of mud from deforestation are not good for these birds. Pollution in rivers can also harm them.
Cutting down trees and expanding farms are big problems. Pesticides, like Carbofuran, from banana farms also threaten the birds. Soil erosion is another issue. These problems affect important places like Rajah Sikatuna National Park on Bohol. Some forests are also being turned into rice fields and palm oil plantations. Laws that protect river areas are not very strong and need to be improved.
 | Mary Eliza Mahoney |
 | Susie King Taylor |
 | Ida Gray |
 | Eliza Ann Grier |
