Birds
Banded Kingfisher
Lacedo pulchella · also called banded kingfishers
Perched quietly within dense Southeast Asian forest, a banded kingfisher shows off one of the starkest differences between male and female plumage found in the entire kingfisher family, a blue-banded male paired with a rufous, black-barred female.
Overview
The banded kingfisher, Lacedo pulchella, is a forest-dwelling kingfisher native to forest habitat across Southeast Asia. Its unusually pronounced difference in appearance between males and females, quiet and unobtrusive forest lifestyle, and diet of large insects and small vertebrates rather than fish make it one of the most visually distinctive and ecologically specialised kingfishers found anywhere in Asia.
Two very different looks, one species
Few kingfishers show as much visual difference between the sexes as the banded kingfisher, whose blue-banded males and rufous, black-barred females could easily be mistaken for two entirely different species at first glance.
Status
Least Concern, remaining present across suitable forest habitat throughout Southeast Asia.
Banded Kingfisher: common questions
Why do male and female banded kingfishers look so different?
This species shows an unusually large difference in appearance between the sexes, with males displaying blue and black banded plumage and females showing rufous plumage barred with black, a level of difference uncommon among kingfishers, most of which look nearly identical regardless of sex.
Does the banded kingfisher hunt fish like most kingfishers?
Not typically, since this species is a forest specialist that hunts large insects, small reptiles, and amphibians from perches within dense forest cover, rarely venturing near open water.
Where is the banded kingfisher found?
This species is native to forest habitat across Southeast Asia, favouring dense forest cover over the open water habitats used by many other kingfishers.
Is the banded kingfisher easy to spot despite its bright colours?
Not especially, since this species is generally quiet and unobtrusive, often overlooked within its forest habitat despite the striking blue, black, and rufous plumage shown by males and females.