Animalia Life
Lacedo pulchella
SUBFAMILY
Halcyoninae
TAXONOMY
Dacelo pulchella Horsfield, 1821, Java. Three subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Martin-chasseur mignon; German: Wellenliest; Spanish:
Martin Cazador Chico.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
8 in (20 cm), no mass data. Medium-sized kingfisher with back
and tail banded in black. Sexes differently colored, male with
crown and back metallic blue, forehead and mask rufous or
black and pale buff below, female reddish brown above and
white below with fine black banding extending over head and
across breast. Both sexes with red bill, one of few kingfishers
with pale, yellow-brown iris.
DISTRIBUTION
Myanmar, Thailand, and Sunda region of Borneo, Sumatra,
and Java.
HABITAT
Lowland evergreen and bamboo forest, extending to 5,600 ft
(1,700 m) above sea level on hill forests of Borneo.
BEHAVIOR
Perches motionless for long periods, except to slowly raise and
lower long crown feathers, at various heights in the forest.
Members of pair territorial, often perched in close proximity to
one another. Call with single long whistle, followed by long series
of short tri- and di-syllabic whistles.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Forages in diverse ways, swooping to the ground, onto fallen
trees or into water, probing in loose soil, or snatching off foliage.
Diet also diverse, a wide variety of arthropods and small
vertebrates.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Excavate nest cavity in rotten wood, earth bank or arboreal
termite nest. Lays two to five eggs. No further details
recorded.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. Widespread and common in many areas of
unlogged forest, including large conservation reserves. Easily
overlooked unless calling.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Regarded as an omen bird by Iban people of Borneo.
Photo Gallery of - Banded kingfisher
