African Pygmy Kingfisher - Profile | Facts | Traits

The African pygmy kingfisher, scientific name Ispidina picta is a small insectivorous kingfisher discovered within the Afrotropics, largely in woodland habitats. This article will give an overview of the African pygmy kingfisher call, facts, description, adaptations, and African dwarf kingfisher, etc.

African Pygmy Kingfisher Facts and Description

The African Pygmy Kingfisher is terrestrial Kingfishers. They are often distinguished from the Malachite Kingfisher by their smaller measurement, a barely shorter beak, and the pink to the purple patch of feathers behind their ears.

The African Pygmy Kingfisher is normally discovered within the thick brush away from water.

The juveniles differ from the grownup birds in that the juvenile hen has a black bill when it’s nonetheless younger.

The black bill will changes color because the hen grows older turning vibrant purple when the hen reaches maturity.

African Pygmy Kingfishers are much like Malachite Kingfishers. Beneath, images of each the African Pygmy Kingfisher, in addition to the Malachite Kingfisher, are reproduced as an example of the variations between the species.

The African Pygmy-Kingfisher (Ispidina picta) is a small insectivorous kingfisher discovered within the Afrotropics, largely in woodland habitats. Some texts check with this species as Ceyx pictus.

Some thrive in Uganda refer to them as “dozers” as a consequence of the truth that they’re continuously seen “dozing” with even the abrupt head jerks.

African Pygmy Kingfisher Size

The African Pygmy Kingfisher is roughly 11-13 cm in size – concerning the measurement of a sparrow. It’s the smallest of all Kingfishers in South Africa.

Identification

A really small kingfisher with rufous underparts and a blue again extending all the way down to the tail. The darkish blue crown of the grownup separates it from the African Dwarf-Kingfisher.

The smaller measurement and violet wash on the ear coverts (the feathers protecting the ears) distinguish it from the same Malachite Kingfisher. The natalensis subspecies occurring within the south of the vary have paler underparts and a blue spot above the white ear patch.

Women and men look alike.

Juveniles have much less intensive violet on their ear coverts and a black slightly than the orange bill.

African Pygmy Kingfisher Habits

Normally discovered singly or in pairs. Secretive and unobtrusive.

African Pygmy Kingfisher Habitat

Present in woodland, savanna, and coastal forest. Being insectivorous, it isn’t sure to water.

Standing and Distribution

The African Pygmy-Kingfisher is distributed extensively in Africa south of the Sahara, the place it’s a widespread resident and intra-African migrant.

It’s absent from a lot of the horn of Africa and in addition the drier western areas of Southern Africa.

Weight loss program / Feeding

They largely eat bugs, however, they will also catch frogs and lizards.

Call

A high-pitched insect-like “tsip-tsip” given in flight.

African Pygmy Kingfisher Description

The African pygmy kingfisher is 12 cm (4.7 in) in size. The sexes are alike. It’s a very small kingfisher with rufous underparts and a blue again extending all the way down to the tail.

The darkish blue crown of the grownup separates it from the African dwarf kingfisher. The smaller measurement and violet wash on the ear coverts distinguish it from the same malachite kingfisher.

The natalensis subspecies occurring within the south of the vary has paler underparts and a blue spot above the white ear patch.

Juveniles have much less intensive violet on their ear coverts and a black slightly than orange bill. The decision is a high-pitched insect-like “tsip-tsip” given in fligh.

African Pygmy Kingfisher Distribution and habitat

The African pygmy kingfisher is distributed extensively in Africa south of the Sahara, the place it’s a widespread resident and intra-African migrant.

It’s absent from a lot of the horn of Africa and in addition the drier western areas of Southern Africa.

It’s present in woodland, savanna, and coastal forest, it isn’t sure to water. It’s normally discovered both singly or in pairs and is secretive and unobtrusive.

Behavior

African pygmy kingfishers nest in burrows which are dug by each sex in sandy soil banks or right into a floor termite nest. The burrows are between 30 and 60 cm (12 and 24 in) in size.

The clutch is 4 to 6 white eggs. Each mother and father take care of the younger. They’ll have a number of broods in a yr.

The African Pygmy Kingfishers are current at Tugela Mouth in the course of the summer season months between October and March.

They start arriving at Tugela Mouth across the third week of September to early in October. It is vitally attainable that they could even arrive earlier.

As there are thousands and thousands of perches obtainable, African Pygmy Kingfishers migrate in the course of the midnights, feeding, resting, and hiding from predators in the course of the day.

African Pygmy Kingfishers have giant eyes in comparison with their small measurement and I’ve noticed them flying in close to complete darkness.

The predilection to migration in the course of the hours of evening is a security mechanism to guard these little birds against their predators after they should of necessity depart the thick forest growths and fly off to Central and East Africa on their yearly migratory cycle.

African Pygmy Kingfisher Breeding

The male begins courting the feminine in the course of the first half of October. Meals perform a vital half within the courting course.

He makes an attempt to win the feminine hen’s favor by catching every kind of meal. The male will actively name the feminine after a profitable hunt, to current his prize to her.

As soon as the feminine has been gained over, coupling takes place within the thick vegetation of the forest.

The coupling course is fleeting lasting solely a second or two. Coupling is repeatedly carried out for a couple of days.

From a beginning place on the bottom, the male begins the method by flying into the chosen embankment at full pace hitting the identical spot each time along with his beak, till a small mark seems on the embankment.

Each time he hits the embankment the male grabs a little bit of soil spitting it out on his approach down.

As quickly as a small gap seems the feminine begins serving to the male to deepen the outlet. This course is repeated time and again till they’ve created a foothold.

After a foothold is created the pair begin chiseling a tunnel into the embankment, clearing out the loose soil with their toes.

The development of the nest might take a day or extra, relying on the soil situations. They might dig a couple of gaps to begin off with, and solely later select one to breed in.

African Pygmy Kingfisher Excavating a nest

The tunnels are 40 to 60 cm deep, with a small chamber on the again the place the feminine will lay and incubate her eggs.

This chamber can be the place they are going to feed and lift their younger. The feminine lays Four to six white eggs and incubation lasts 16 to 18 days.

The male helps with the incubation course. They alternate about every 2 hours, permitting the opposite accomplice to hunt.

The birds usually breed as soon as in the course of the season. I’ve nevertheless noticed in the course of the 2012 and 2013 seasons that a number of the pairs have bred twice.

The second breeding spell commences early within the New 12 months.

The arduous journey north should be actually hazardous for the hatchlings which are raised in the course of the second half of the breeding season, as these hatchlings must undertake this journey throughout March when they’re nonetheless very younger.

The male hen weighs about 12 to 13 grams whereas the feminine weighs 1 to 2 grams lower than the male.

The birds have a wingspan between 5 and 6 centimeters and are about 13 centimeters in size. It’s troublesome to differentiate between the sexes of those birds by simply them.

The males and the feminine’s plumage are identical and thus their outward look is very comparable.

The ability to differentiate between the sexes on an outward look occupied my thoughts for a while.

The male’s eyes and that of the feminine while finding out my images. There are distinct variations between the sexes within the form of their eyes when the birds are noticed rigorously. The feminine birds’ eyes are extra oval (egg-shaped), when in comparison with the eyes of the male bird.

African Pygmy Kingfishers normally perch at a human eye stage or decrease within the backside branches of the timber and shrubs.

These birds additionally sit immobile for lengthy intervals of time. The one factor which will typically reveal their place is after they transfer their little heads up and down in a nodding movement.

They are going to break cover by flying off instantly from their perched place with no warning. It’s thus exceptionally troublesome to {photograph} Pygmy Kingfishers whereas in flight.

All of the observers see is a flash of blue because the hen disappears from its perched place. In-flight they often make a comfortable tjick-tjick sound, seldom repeating it when sitting down.

African Pygmy Kingfishers hunt vertebrates and invertebrates that it has recognized on the bottom from their perches.

They do catch small crabs, frogs, and tadpoles at or close to the sting of water, however, not like different kingfishers, it is not going to dive into the water (besides to wash) as their important meals supply is discovered on land.

Though I’ve beforehand famous that these birds feed on frogs and tadpoles, a big share of the prey fed to the chicks consisted of frogs and enormous tadpoles.

Tadpoles already developed entrance limbs, however, their tails had been nonetheless clearly seen. Photographs of the African Pygmy Kingfishers with these tadpoles and frogs had been proven to an amphibian professional on the College of Pretoria.

These tadpoles are not going to feed throughout this time however will get all their nourishment from the absorption of their tails.

African Pygmy Kingfisher Feeding

The African pygmy kingfisher’s food regimen consists of bugs like grasshoppers, praying mantis, worms, crickets, dragonflies, cockroaches, and moths.

They’re additionally identified to take spiders which make out fairly a big part of their food regimen.

In addition, they take geckos and lizards which are simply their size and small frogs and even often small crabs.

Prey are hunted from low perches and as soon as caught are both crushed within the beak or are smashed in opposition to the perch.

African Pygmy Kingfisher – Profile | Facts | Traits | Description