Philippine dwarf kingfisher

Philippine dwarf kingfisher
C. m. mindanensis subspecies in Cagayan de Oro
C. m. melanarus in Quezon
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Subfamily: Alcedininae
Genus: Ceyx
Species:
C. melanurus
Binomial name
Ceyx melanurus
(Kaup, 1848)

The Philippine dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae that is endemic to the Philippines found in the islands of Luzon, Polillo Islands, Catanduanes, Basilan, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests.[2] It is threatened by habitat loss.

Taxonomy and description

Illustration of the nominate subspecies by John Gerrard Keulemans

The Philippine dwarf kingfisher is a small mostly orange kingfisher with a red beak and legs, and a white belly. It has a light lilac hue which is more intense in the southern subspecies and has dark blue spotted wings for the northern subspecies.[3][2]

The Philippine kingfisher was formally described by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1848 under the binomial name Alcedo melanura.[4][5] The specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek melanouros meaning "with a black tail".[6] The Philippine dwarf kingfisher is now placed in the genus Ceyx that was introduced by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799.[7][8]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognised:[8]

The subspecies mindandanensis with a gecko to be fed to its fledglings.

The subspecies C. m. mindanensis is sometimes treated as a separate species, the south Philippine dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx mindanensis), with the nominate and samarensis classified by the Handbook of the Birds of the World as the north Philippine dwarf kingfisher.[9] The two proposed species are differentiated by color and size: north Philippine dwarf kingfishers have dark blue spotted wings and ears and are slightly smaller than south Philippine dwarf kingfishers, which have a more noticeable lilac hue and are overall more uniform orange.

Ecology and behavior

This species feeds on insects, larvae, small crabs and reptiles. It is typically seen perching fairly low and near the forest floor. Nests in termite mounds and usually recorded in March.[10]

In March 2020 a fledgling of the C. m. mindanensis subspecies was photographed for the first time by the Robert S. Kennedy Conservation Society led by Miguel David De Leon in Cagayan de Oro. These photos subsequently went viral online due to an article by Esquire and The New York Times. It was initially erroneously reported by Esquire that these were the first ever photographs of the kingfisher. While the article has since been corrected, this initial error was subsequently picked up and continued by various media outlets.[11][12]

Habitat and conservation status

It is found in lowland primary and secondary forest up to 750 meters above sea level. It prefers areas with high rainfall.

The IUCN Red List follows the Handbook of the Birds of the World thus assesses the North and South subspecies separately. Both species or subspecies have been assessed as vulnerable with the population believed to be on the decline. The Southern subspecies has a lower estimated population of 2,500 to 9,999 mature individuals with the Northern subspecies estimated at 10,000 - 19,999. This species' main threat is habitat loss with wholesale clearance of forest habitats as a result of logging, agricultural conversion and mining activities occurring within the range.

There are currently no targeted conservation plans for the species. It occurs in a few protected areas throughout its range like the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, Bataan National Park, Samar Island Natural Park, Mount Kitanglad National Park but protection and enforcement from loggers and hunters is still lax.[13][14][2]

References

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Ceyx melanurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T61655451A95174513. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T61655451A95174513.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Allen, Desmond (2020). Birds of the Philippines. Barcelona: Lynx and Birdlife Guides International. pp. 206–207.
  3. ^ "Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher". Ebird.
  4. ^ Kaup, Johann Jakob (1848). "Die Familie der Eisvögel (Alcedidae)". Verhandlungen des Naturhistorischen Vereins für das Großherzogthum Hessen und Umgebung (in German). 2: 61–81 [74]. OCLC 183221382.
  5. ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 185.
  6. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 248. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  7. ^ Lacépède, Bernard Germain de (1799). Discours d'ouverture du Cours d'histoire naturelle des animaux vertébrés et a sang rouge: Tableau des sous-classes, divisions, sous-divisions, ordres et genres des oiseaux. Paris: Plassan. p. 10.
  8. ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Rollers, ground rollers & kingfishers". IOC World Bird List Version 10.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  9. ^ del Hoyo, J.; Collar, N.; Kirwan, G.M. (2020). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "South Philippine Dwarf-kingfisher (Ceyx mindanensis)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  10. ^ del Hoyo, Josep; Woodall, P. F.; Kirwan, Guy M.; Collar, Nigel (2020). "Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.phikin1.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN 2771-3105.
  11. ^ ago, Mario Alvaro Limos | 2 days. "Ultra-Rare Dwarf Kingfisher Fledgling Photographed for the Very First Time". Esquiremag.ph. Retrieved 2020-03-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "How an Eye Surgeon Got a Picture of This Rare Pastel Bird". The New York Times. April 3, 2020.
  13. ^ International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (2016-10-01). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Ceyx mindanensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
  14. ^ International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (2016-10-01). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Ceyx melanurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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