Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher

Ceyx erithaca (Linnaeus, 1758)

≈13 cmLength18 gWeight

It is a pocket-sized kingfisher with a red bill, red legs and feet, and yellow-orange underparts.

Busiest months: March and July · Most records: Malaysia, India, Thailand

Near Threatened

How to identify

Field marks

Bill, legs, and feet red
A single black patch on forehead
Blue and white patches on side of neck
Back and wings dark blue; underparts pale yellow-orange

Male, female and young

Sexes similar, with male slightly larger; juvenile is duller, with a yellow-orange bill and pale tip.

Voice

A high-pitched “tsriet-tsriet”; a soft “tjie-tjie-tjie” in flight.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: March and July · Most records: Malaysia, India, Thailand

Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher has been recorded at 236 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 13 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Sepilok – Rainforest Discovery CenterMalaysia1,511 records
Gunung Panti Recreational Forest – Panti Bird Sanctuary and North AreaMalaysia495 records
Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest LodgeMalaysia428 records

More places

Danum Valley Field CentreMalaysia294 records
Bondla Wildlife SanctuaryIndia262 records
Sungai Congkak Recreational ForestMalaysia232 records
Irawan Eco Park, Puerto PrincesaPhilippines228 records
Menanggol RiverMalaysia187 records
Bali Barat NPIndonesia185 records
Garbhanga Reserve ForestIndia178 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Malaysia India Thailand Sri Lanka Singapore Philippines Indonesia Vietnam

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The black-backed dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx erithaca), also known as the three-toed kingfisher, is a pocket-sized bird in the family Alcedinidae. It was formerly considered as conspecific with the rufous-backed dwarf kingfisher and together the species complex was known by the English name "oriental dwarf kingfisher".

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher?

The Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher is about ≈13 cm long and weighs around 18 g.

Where does the Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Indian subcontinent to southeastern China, Indochina and Thailand.. It is most often recorded in Malaysia, India and Thailand.

When is the best time to see the Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in March and July (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher as Near Threatened.

What does the Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher in?

It belongs to the family Kingfishers (Alcedinidae), order Coraciiformes.

At a glance

Length: ≈13 cm
Weight: 18 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Near Threatened

More measurements

Wing: 58 mm
Tail: 23 mm
Bill: 36 mm
Tarsus: 8 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: Indian subcontinent to southeastern China, Indochina and Thailand.

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1

Ceyx erithaca erithaca ne India, Myanmar, Thailand, Indochina, se China, Indochina and Thailand s to n Thai-Malay Pen. Disjunctly in sw India and Sri Lanka. | non-breeding: to s Thai-Malay Pen. and Sumatra