- Todiramphus lazuli
Identification
22 cm.
Male
- White supraloaral spot
- Dark blue crown
- Paler blue upperparts
- Darker blue ear-coverts, wings and tail
- White throat, partial collar and breast, pale blue belly
- Mostly black bill
Female
- Blue breast and belly
- Purple-blue hindneck and sides
- Grey and dark blue underwing-coverts
Juveniles similar to adult males but with duller blue and buffy-white loral spot and throat, black-speckled breast and collar.
Similar species
Collared Kingfisher has a pale blue crown and a white belly.
Distribution
Endemic to the south Moluccas, found on Seram, Ambon and Haruku (Indonesia).
A restricted-range species. Locally common but uncommon in other suitable habitats. Seems to do well in heavily degraded habitat. Main threat probably hunting. Sometimes listed for Saparua but no definite records. Probably occurs on Nusa Laut.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Formerly considered conspecific with Blue-and-white Kingfisher.
Habitat
Partly cleared or even heavily degraded forest in lowlands. Also in secondary growth, cultivation, gardens and sometimes mangroves.
Occurs from sea-level up to 640 m (400 m on Ambon).
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on beetles and grasshoppers. Sits on a shaded perch in the forest, on a dead tree or on a wire, watching for prey.
Breeding
Not much known. Breeding season probably from July to December. Recorded excavating nest-sites in arboreal termite nests.
Movements
Presumably a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2015. IOC World Bird Names (version 5.2). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Lazuli Kingfisher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lazuli_Kingfisher
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
