The Azure Kingfisher is a small kingfisher with a long slender black bill and a short tail. The head, neck, upper parts and breast sides are deep azure blue with a violet (purplish) sheen. The neck has a distinctive orange stripe on each side and there is a small orange spot before each eye. The throat is pale orange-white, grading to orange-reddish on belly and undertail. The flanks and sides of the breast are washed purple to violet. The legs and feet are red. The sexes are similar. Young birds have a darker cap and are generally duller.
Not Threatened.
The Azure Kingfisher is a small kingfisher with a long slender black bill and a short tail. The head, neck, upper parts and breast sides are deep azure blue with a violet (purplish) sheen. The neck has a distinctive orange stripe on each side and there is a small orange spot before each eye. The throat is pale orange-white, grading to orange-reddish on belly and undertail. The flanks and sides of the breast are washed purple to violet. The legs and feet are red. The sexes are similar. Young birds have a darker cap and are generally duller.
VOICE: Usually silent, but has high thin whistle when flying: 'pee-ee, pee-ee'.
18 cm, male 29-32 g, female 31-35 g
Taxonomy:
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Alcedo azurea Latham, 1801, Norfolk Island; error = New South Wales. Sometimes placed in genus Alcyone, or in Ceyx. Forms a superspecies with A. quadribrachys and A. websteri, and possibly also A. meninting. In past, race ruficollaris inexplicably and erroneously listed under Todiramphus sanctus. Race yamdenae sometimes included in ruficollaris; birds from Aru Is formerly separated from lessonii as race wallaceana. Seven subspecies currently recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
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* affinis (G. R. Gray, 1860) - Morotai, Halmahera and Bacan (N Moluccas). *lessonii (Cassin, 1850) - W Papuan Is and lowland S New Guinea E to D’Entrecasteaux Is, also Aru Is. *ochrogaster (Reichenow, 1903) - islands in Geelvink Bay, and N New Guinea from R Mamberano E to Astrolabe Bay, S to Wahgi Valley, also Karkar I and Admiralty Is. * yamdenae (Rothschild, 1901) - Romang (E Lesser Sundas) and Tanimbar Is. * ruficollaris (Bankier, 1841) - N Australia, from Kimberley E to Cooktown. * azurea Latham, 1801 - E & SE Australia, from Cooktown S to Victoria. * diemenensis (Gould, 1846) - Tasmania.
It is never far from water, preferring freshwater rivers and creeks as well as billabongs, lakes, swamps and dams, usually in shady overhanging vegetation. It is sometimes seen in parks on rivers, as well as duck or goldfish ponds in urban areas. Sea-level and lower altitudes, to 1520 m in New Guinea.
Plunges from overhanging perches into water to catch prey. Prey items include: fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects and other invertebrates, and, sometimes, frogs. They will often bash their prey against the perch before swallowing it head first. Often watch Platypuses foraging underwater and catch any food items that are disturbed.
Form monogamous pairs that defend a breeding territory. Both parents incubate and feed the chicks. The nest is at the end of a burrow dug out of soil in a riverbank. The tunnel slopes upwards to the nesting chamber and can be 80 cm - 130 cm long. Flooding can destroy low-lying burrows. Breeding season: September to January Clutch size: 4 to 7, usually 5 Incubation: 21 days Time in nest: 28 days