Lilac Kingfisher
Encyclopedia
The Lilac Kingfisher or Celebes Flat-billed Kingfisher (Cittura cyanotis) is a resident breeding bird
in the lowlands of the Indonesia
island of Sulawesi
and the neighbouring Sangihe and Talaud Islands
. It is the only member of the genus Cittura.
shape, with a short tail and long bill. The adult male of the nominate race, C. c. cyanotis, has a brown crown and back and rufous rump and tail. It has a blue eye mask, separated from the crown by a white line, and a pale lilac ruff of long stiffened ear covert feathers. The underparts are white and the wings are blue, separated by a white line from the brown back. The red bill is large and flattened. In flight, the underwings are white with a black wrist patch.
The female has a black, rather than blue, mask and upperwing coverts, and her supercilium
is black, spotted with white. The juvenile resembles the adult, but is duller and browner with a grey-brown bill.
There are two or three subspecies;
The call of this large tree kingfisher
is a rapid ku-ku-ku-ku.
The Lilac Kingfisher is unlikely to be confused with any other kingfisher
s in its range..
It perches motionless on a low branch watching for its prey, mainly large insect
s, on the ground below. Little else is known of the behaviour of this species, and no nests have been found.
has been extensive in recent decades, and the loss of its habitat has led to Lilac Kingfisher being classed as near-threatened.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the lowlands of the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
island of Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
and the neighbouring Sangihe and Talaud Islands
Talaud Islands
Talaud Islands is a group of islands located north of Sulawesi island in Indonesia, northeast of the Sangihe Islands...
. It is the only member of the genus Cittura.
Description
The Lilac Kingfisher is 28 cm (11 inches) long. It has the typical kingfisherKingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
shape, with a short tail and long bill. The adult male of the nominate race, C. c. cyanotis, has a brown crown and back and rufous rump and tail. It has a blue eye mask, separated from the crown by a white line, and a pale lilac ruff of long stiffened ear covert feathers. The underparts are white and the wings are blue, separated by a white line from the brown back. The red bill is large and flattened. In flight, the underwings are white with a black wrist patch.
The female has a black, rather than blue, mask and upperwing coverts, and her supercilium
Supercilium
The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head. Also known as an "eyebrow", it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line which runs...
is black, spotted with white. The juvenile resembles the adult, but is duller and browner with a grey-brown bill.
There are two or three subspecies;
- C. c. cyanotis, northern Sulawesi
- C. c. modesta, eastern and southeastern Sulawesi. This form, which is not recognised by some authorities, has less stiff ear coverts than nominate cyanotis. These feathers are lilac in the male and rufous in the female. The throat is rufous-lilac in both sexes.
- C. c. sanghirensis, Sangihe and Talaud islands. This subspecies is substantially larger and longer-billed than the nominate race. It has brighter, more rufous upperparts, a black forehead and mask, stiff, bright lilac ear coverts and upper breast, and a white chin.
The call of this large tree kingfisher
Tree kingfisher
The tree kingfishers or wood kingfishers, family Halcyonidae, are the most numerous of the three families of birds in the kingfisher group, with between 56 and 61 species in around 12 genera, including several species of kookaburras. The family appears to have arisen in Indochina and the Maritime...
is a rapid ku-ku-ku-ku.
The Lilac Kingfisher is unlikely to be confused with any other kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s in its range..
Behaviour
The Lilac Kingfisher is found in lowland rainforest and drier hill forest up to 1000 m altitude.It perches motionless on a low branch watching for its prey, mainly large insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, on the ground below. Little else is known of the behaviour of this species, and no nests have been found.
Status
This species has a restricted range and fragmented distribution, and is uncommon, with no records from south Sulawesi. Lowland deforestationDeforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
has been extensive in recent decades, and the loss of its habitat has led to Lilac Kingfisher being classed as near-threatened.