Lacedo pulchella
The Banded Kingfisher (Lacedo pulchella) is a striking, medium-sized forest kingfisher, measuring 20-22 cm in length with a relatively short bill compared to many of its aquatic relatives. It exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism: males boast an iridescent cobalt-blue crown, nape, and back, with rich rufous underparts and a broad black and white band across the chest, complemented by a bright red bill. Females are equally distinctive, lacking the blue and predominantly rufous-orange with fine...
The Banded Kingfisher primarily inhabits mature lowland evergreen and mixed deciduous forests, preferring dense canopies and secondary growth. It is typically found from sea level up to elevations of about 1,100 meters.
Its diet primarily consists of large insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, stick insects, and mantises, along with small reptiles and amphibians. It forages by ambushing prey from low perches in dense forest.
The Banded Kingfisher is a shy and largely solitary or paired diurnal bird, often detected more by its distinctive calls than by sight as it perches motionless for long periods within the forest understory. Its primary foraging strategy is a "perch-and-pounce" technique, where it drops rapidly fr...
The Banded Kingfisher is widely distributed across Southeast Asia, from Myanmar and southern Thailand through the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Borneo, and Java in Indonesia, as well as Brunei and Singapore. Its breeding range largely overlaps with its year-round presence, as it is generally a resi...
Least Concern
- The Banded Kingfisher exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism, with males featuring vibrant blue and rufous plumage and females showcasing rufous with distinct black barring. - Unlike most kingfishers known for diving for fish, this species is a forest insectivore and rarely associates with water bo...