Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher Ceyx melanurus Scientific name definitions

Taxonomic note: Lump. This account is a combination of multiple species accounts originally published in HBW Alive. That content has been combined and labeled here at the subspecies level. Moving forward we will create a more unified account for this parent taxon. Please consider contributing your expertise to update this account.

North Philippine Dwarf-kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus)

12 cm; 16·4 g (1 Gomez, J.P.S., Sison, R.V. and Lohman, D.J. (2009). New bird records for Alabat Island, Quezon Province, Philippines. Forktail. 25: 147–150. Close ). Tiny kingfisher with three toes. Both sexes of nominate race possess blue-and-white neck mark  , lilac-rufous head and upperparts  , black wings and inner scapulars; chin and throat white  , breast and flanks lilac-rufous, belly whitish; iris dark brown; bill, legs and feet red. Juvenile duller with much less lilac in plumage, bill orange with pale tip. Race samarensis larger (wing and bill by c.10%) (2 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), and is sometimes stated to have head more lilac, back darker, darker blue spots in wing-coverts, less white on abdomen, although other commentators have refuted these differences (3 Collar, N.J. (2011). Species limits in some Philippine birds including the Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus. Forktail. 27: 29-38. Close ). No geographical overlap with C. erithaca motleyi, which in any case has bright yellow-orange underparts, while C. argentatus is blue-and-white below and mainly dark blue above, and C. lepida also has blue upperparts (2 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher (Mindanao)

13·2 cm. Tiny kingfisher with three toes. Rufous plumage, washed lilac on ear-coverts, crown, breast and rump, with white throat and belly, off-white lores, blue-and-white neck blaze, blackish wings glossed blue and black, and black ‘V’ mark on back; bright red bill and legs. Juvenile presumably differs from adult in much the same way as that of C. melanurus. Former race platenae (no longer recognized, see Taxonomy comments) was considered larger, and to have more lilac, less black in wings. <em>C. mindanensis</em> differs from both races of C. melanurus in lack of blue neck spot  , lack of blue starring on wing-coverts; strong lilac iridescence on rear submoustachial area, postocular superciliary area  , mantle and back and, as strong spangling, from mid-crown to nape, dull rufous tips to wing-coverts and fringes to secondaries  , and slightly larger size (3 Collar, N.J. (2011). Species limits in some Philippine birds including the Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus. Forktail. 27: 29-38. Close )

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North Philippine Dwarf-kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus)

Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher (Mindanao)

Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher (Mindanao)

Mindanao and Basilan (S Philippines).

North Philippine Dwarf-kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus)

Dense primary forest, also secondary forest; from coast to 750 m, with a single record from 1050 m in S Luzon (6 Dinets, V. (2001). Ornithological records from Luzon during January–February 21481481, including a description of the voice of Luzon Rail Lewinia mirificus. Bulletin of the Oriental Bird Club 34: 40–41. Close ). Often near streams, but these apparently not an essential element of habitat. Usually near ground, or up to 5 m above it.

Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher (Mindanao)

North Philippine Dwarf-kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus)

Presumably sedentary.

Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher (Mindanao)

Presumably sedentary.

North Philippine Dwarf-kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus)

Insects and larvae, also small crabs. Feeding technique not described, but usually perches 1·5–3 m above ground (7 Poulsen, M. K. (1995). The threatened and near-threatened birds of Luzon, Philippines, and the role of the Sierra Madre mountains in their conservation. Bird Conservation International 5(1):79–115. Close ).

Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher (Mindanao)

North Philippine Dwarf-kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus)

High-pitched insect-like squeak, rendered “zeeep”, almost inaudible.

Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher (Mindanao)

Apparently very similar to that of C. melanurus, an insect-like note  , given either singly or repeated in several in short series at a steady rate.

North Philippine Dwarf-kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus)

Specimens with enlarged gonads in May from Samar and in Apr from Luzon. Immatures recorded in Jul and Dec. No other information available.

Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher (Mindanao)

North Philippine Dwarf-kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus)

VULNERABLE. Population thought to number 10,000–20,000 birds and considered to be declining. Scarce or rare, but possibly under-recorded owing to its secretive habits. Recent confirmed records from c. 20 sites (c. 60 in total), mostly on Luzon, but observed also on Samar (8 Mallari, N. A. D., M. J. Crosby, and N. J. Collar (2004). Unexplored Philippine forests as revealed by point-locality mapping. Forktail 20:124-128. Close ), Polillo, Catanduanes, Leyte and Mindanao. Occurs on Luzon in Quezon National Park, Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park and Bicol National Park; also recorded in Polillo Watershed Forest Reserve and recorded regularly in Pasonanca Natural Park, Alabat Watershed Forest Reserve and Aurora Memorial National Park. Just one record on Tablas (Feb 1976). Has suffered from extensive destruction of forest habitat, including removal of 83% of forest in Sierra Madre Mts since 1930s; continuing clearance of forest is extensive throughout the species’ range, and mining and illegal logging are also major threats. Moreover, storms can destroy large areas of forest, as on Catanduanes in 1987 and 1996. More information is urgently needed on its biology and population level.

Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher (Mindanao)

VULNERABLE. Overall population estimated at between 2500 and 10,000 mature individuals, and is suspected to be declining, with the overall range estimated to be 95,500 km². Thought to be generally scarce or rare, but it is secretive, difficult to observe and consequently may be under-recorded. Some records from protected areas on Mindanao, e.g. Mt Hilong-hilong reserve. Extensive lowland deforestation on all islands within its range is the main threat. Most remaining lowland forest that is not afforded protection is leased to logging concessions and mining applications. Specific threats at key sites with recent records include forest clearance under a concession at Bislig (Mindanao) for replacement with exotic trees for paper production.