Dimorphic dwarf kingfisher

The dimorphic dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx margarethae) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae that is endemic to the central and southern Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Dimorphic dwarf kingfisher
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Subfamily: Alcedininae
Genus: Ceyx
Species:
C. margarethae
Binomial name
Ceyx margarethae
W Blasius, 1890

The species is small and have three toes on its legs. They fly with bullet-like speed to catch insects and grubs which they find on the ground.

Habitat

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. To be precise, it inhabits islands such as Murcia, Negros, Cebu, Camiguin Sur, Mindanao and many other small islands in the central and southern Philippines (including Mt. Kanlaon). The species do vary from their cousin species such as indigo-banded and southern silvery kingfishers in a way that they do not fish for food when in water, and use it only to clean their feathers.[2]

This species was formerly considered as one of the 15 recognised subspecies of what was then known as the variable dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx lepidus or Alcedo lepidus).[3] A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2013 found that most of the insular subspecies had substantially diverged from one another.[4] The variable dwarf kingfisher was therefore split and 12 of the subspecies, including the dimorphic dwarf kingfisher, were promoted to species status. At the same time the name of the variable dwarf kingfisher was changed to the Moluccan dwarf kingfisher.[5]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2015). "Ceyx magarethae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. "Ceyx lepidus margarethae". Birding Adventure Philippines. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  3. Fry, C. Hilary; Fry, Kathie; Harris, Alan (1992). "Variable Dwarf Kingfisher". Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, and Rollers. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 202–204. ISBN 978-0-7136-8028-7.
  4. Andersen, M.J.; Oliveros, C.H.; Filardi, C.E.; Moyle, R.G. (2013). "Phylogeography of the Variable Dwarf-Kingfisher Ceyx lepidus (Aves: Alcedinidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences" (PDF). Auk. 130 (1): 118–131. doi:10.1525/auk.2012.12102.
  5. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2017). "Rollers, ground rollers & kingfishers". World Bird List Version 7.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
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