Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher

Jungle Fischer ( Ceyx erithacus) from Thailand

The jungle Fischer ( Ceyx erithacus, synonym: Ceyx erithaca ), also Oriental Dwarf Fischer, is an Asian kingfisher.

Features

The jungle fisherman who is great only up to 14 cm, has a dark blue to black top. In English it is therefore also called Black-backed Kingfisher ( Black- Kingfisher ). This distinguishes him from the back coloring Rotrückenfischer, which is also native to Southeast Asia. His head is orange with a purple sheen. In young animals, the lower part of the body is white with an orange beak Brunstring and the yellow-orange.

Dissemination

Its natural habitat is in South and Southeast Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam). In Singapore, he is regarded as extinct.

Foraging

Like most kingfishers of the genus Ceyx chasing the bird out of a seat waiting. His food acquisition is mainly terrestrial and consists of insects and other invertebrates.

System

Some zoologists Rotrückenfischer is considered only as a color variation of the jungle fisherman. In Borneo, where both kingfishers occur together, they mate with each other and are found all gradations between the red-violet and blue-black top. Also on Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula ( to Kuala Lumpur ) there are intermediate forms.

There were also described, three subspecies:

• Ceyx erithacus erithacus (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Ceyx erithacus macro carus ( Oberholser, 1917)